Addiction rate static

Dear Viewpoints,

The Viewpoints letter of May 19 ("Drug facts are clarified"), by
Sterlene Donahue was inaccurate. Drug arrests for marijuana use and
possession have reached the all-time high of one every 54 seconds. Donahue
distorted statistics by incorrectly equating recidivism with violence - a
recidivist nonviolent offender is still nonviolent.

She stated that the use of other illegal drugs has increased for
decades, even though the government estimates the number of heroin and
cocaine users has been reduced from about 24 million in 1979 to around 12
million today.

The amount of estimated addiction has remained unchanged during
that time, and alcohol still accounts for about 80% of all addiction to
psychoactive drugs, and alcohol and tobacco combine to account for some 95%
of all drug related deaths. Prisoner release is not done solely by formula;
that is one reason we have parole boards.

The bottom line is that we have wasted vast resources in an
unsuccessful attempt to stop 20% to 50% [depending on whether one counts
brief experimentation] of our citizens from doing what 80% of us do legally
because we use an approved [though arguably more destructive], brand. No
wonder our children are so indifferent to our warnings when such hypocrisy is
rampant.

The upshot has been the creation of crime and violence via the
black market and a decreasing ability to deal with murderers and rapists and
other violent offenders who should be the focus of our law enforcement
efforts.

Jerry Epstein

vice president, Drug Policy Forum of Texas