JAILING FOR DRUGS

Johnson County is not the only jurisdiction grappling with
overcrowded jails. Throughout the nation, states facing budget
shortfalls are pursuing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent
drug offenders. 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
antisocial 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. Students
who want to help reform harmful drug laws should contact Students for
Sensible Drug Policy at www.ssdp.org.

Robert Sharpe

policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy