DECLARE PEACE IN DRUG WAR TO SAVE MONEY

Regarding Kyle Wingfield's "Change jail policy and save" (Opinion,
Dec. 19): Georgia is one of many states grappling with overcrowded
prisons. Throughout the nation, states facing budget shortfalls are
pursuing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders.
A study conducted by the RAND Corp. found that every additional dollar
invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers more than $7 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 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.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy