DRUG WAR SENSELESS

Mark Ruddy and Roberta Wegner are to be commended for making the case for
drug and alcohol treatment in their Nov. 27 op-ed, "For addicts, treatment
trumps jail." A study conducted by the RAND Corporation found that every
additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers
$7.48 in societal costs.

There is far more at stake than tax dollars. The drug war is not the
promoter of family values that some would have us believe. Children of
inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and
delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society as a whole does
too. Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals
is the equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in
anti-social behavior. Turning drug users into unemployable ex-cons is a
senseless waste of tax dollars.

It's time to declare peace in the failed drug war and begin treating all
substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health problem it is.
Destroying the futures and families of citizens who make unhealthy choices
doesn't benefit anyone. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

ROBERT SHARPE

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.