WHATEVER GETS YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT

I recently went to a party with a large group of people, a pleasant
and joyful gathering. There were idle conversations and deep ones,
bursts of laughter and stormy debates. Most of us were 40 years old or
more - busy people, most with children. It seemed that for a few hours
we were free of cares and worries.

There were all kinds of refreshments, including high-quality alcoholic
beverages. Most people drank wine, some sipped whiskey, and a few
preferred vodka or Campari and orange juice. Some were smoking
marijuana or hashish. Two people said they were on Ritalin, so they
were staying away from alcohol, but they were calm and happy anyway.
The next day, some of those present had headaches and took an Advil
for relief. In the final tally, including the cost of the hangover, it
was quite a successful party.

About two weeks ago, the media reported that two Israeli drug dealers,
Vladimir Akronik and Alon Makhlouf, had been sentenced to death in
Thailand after being convicted of smuggling Ecstasy. It was also
reported that an international drug-smuggling network had been exposed
in the Haifa port, and that the police were upping their efforts to
catch drug dealers in and beyond Israel, and send them to jail.

Uncontrolled trafficking in hard drugs is without a doubt dangerous,
and everything possible should be done to root it out. And yet, it is
interesting to stop for a minute and think about the great divide in
the eyes of both the media and public opinion, in the way they relate
to consumers of alcohol and drugs, on the one hand, and the dealers
who supply the means of serenity, on the other. It's as if they were
from two different planets.

About 66 percent of Israeli adults and about 50 percent of teens in
the school system consume alcoholic beverages at least occasionally.
About 10 percent of school students in Israel and about 10.5 percent
of adults occasionally make "some illegal use" of psycho-active
substances, according to a comprehensive survey by the Anti-Drug
Authority from 2005. The survey covered 9,000 students and 5,000
adults, a representative sample of Israel's population. Among adults
who use illegal psycho-active substances, the survey showed that most
use cannabis (marijuana or hashish) or illegally obtained prescription
drugs, including Ritalin, Sinufed or tranquilizers. Among students,
along with cannabis, the use of illegally obtained prescription
tranquilizers is particularly high, as is use of Ecstasy.

The Anti-Drug Authority carefully collects data on the use of all
drugs in Israel, including alcohol. In Israel, the most common
"behavior- and mood-altering" drugs are alcohol, cannabis and
tranquilizers. The common wisdom today among experts - and this is
also the position of the establishment, the Anti-Drug Authority - is
that alcohol is a drug in every sense. Its use affects mood and might
be fatal if one drives while under the influence (some 8 percent of
drivers involved in accidents were under the influence of alcohol), it
impairs coordination and decision-making, and over a long period, it
can cause liver damage. The link between alcohol abuse and violent
behavior is also uncontestable. At the same time, no one contends that
there is a similar link between marijuana, Ecstasy or Ritalin use and
violent behavior.

In the final analysis, these are the facts: Uncontrolled use of drugs,
including alcohol, is dangerous. A very high portion of the population
consumes alcohol legally; hundreds of thousands of Israelis consume
illegal drugs - mainly cannabis, as well as tranquilizers and Ecstasy.
A negligible number also use heroin and cocaine.

And yet, the law in Israel sanctions the use and sale of alcohol,
whereas it prohibits the sale and use of other drugs. Meanwhile, the
upper world of consumers of cannabis, Ritalin and Ecstasy tramples
indifferently on the nether world of the drug dealers. And despite
police action and the public opprobrium, drug use in Israel is not on
the decline. On the contrary, an ongoing and sharp rise in the
consumption of alcohol and illegal psycho-active drugs was seen
between 1989 and 2005.

The time has come to rethink the drug issue: Instead of making all
drugs illegal, there should be differentiation between various types
of drugs and various types of users. Just as children are prohibited
from buying or using alcohol, selling them marijuana, Ritalin and
Ecstasy should likewise be outlawed. Adults should decide for
themselves how to obtain the means to calm themselves, and bear full
responsibility for the consequences.