Letters to the editor should be 250 or fewer words.
The Press Democrat
P.O. Box 569, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Conservatives love to decry costly government solutions that don't solve
problems.

But when the subject is fighting drugs, it's different. Few
conservativesand not enough liberals, for that matterdare to say that our
current strategies waste tax dollars.

The number of drug offenders behind bars tripled from 1986 to 1991. The
resulting prison overcrowding often led to early releases of violent
criminals.

Meanwhile, the nation's craving for illegal drugs continues.

The Rand report found that long sentences make sense for top drug dealers.
Unfortunately, lowlevel fall guys (and gals) more often end up serving
serious time. For the drug rings, they are easily replaceable.

The report recommended that judges be given more sentencing discretion with
more emphasis placed on drug treatment as a way to cut demand. Treatment is
15 times more effective than incarceration in reducing drugrelated crime,
the report concludes.

Of course, politicians who embrace more rational sentencing proposals may
be labeled "soft on drugs." Call them "realistic on drugs" instead.