KING COUNTY BUDGET: RETHINK DRUG LAWS

The King County Council is beginning its tough conversation about resources.
How much less for criminal justice programs? Health clinics? And on and on.
This is a government's version of the question every parent faces, "Which
child do you love best?" We love them all. Each program has an important
role -- and a constituency.But county government does not have the option of
spending money it doesn't have. Every budget is balanced at the end of the
day.Lisa Daugaard of The Defender Association makes the case that King
County will underfund public criminal defense, making the system's maze more
difficult for first time, nonviolent offenders.That may be. But this could
also be a great opportunity to rethink the enforcement of drug laws by both
the city and county governments. What if resources could be shifted from the
prosecution of low-level drug crimes into recovery programs? Daugaard argues
that fewer misdemeanor drug-related arrests by the city of Seattle, for
example, could reduce the need for a new regional jail.One way ahead might
be a regional summit that brings together all the stakeholders, ranging from
law enforcement to those managing treatment programs. Yes, legislation would
be required, and in a hurry, at that. But what if a limited budget forces a
new order? This might be an ideal time to swap "drug crimes" (or worse, "war
on drugs") with the notion that drug use should be treated in the public
health arena.