RETHINKING THE WAR ON DRUGS

The Global Commission On Drug Policy Has Declared The War On Drugs
lost. It's Time To Rethink Our Strategy

Now that the Global Commission on Drug Policy has declared that
America has lost the war on drugs, it's time to develop new
strategies, ones that treat drug addiction as a health problem, not a
criminal problem.

Illegal drugs have touched every sector of the community from cities
to suburbs to rural areas. The victims range from the very young -
babies being born with drugs in their systems - to senior citizens.

Drugs can be found even in the most secure places, such as prisons and
jails, or on school grounds. At the same time, some states are moving
to legalizing marijuana, which many say is a gateway drug.

So it is not a great revelation that the war on drugs was
lost.

It was not shocking when the 19-member Global Commission, which
includes former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and former
Treasury Secretary George P. Shultz, said last week that America needs
a shift in logic.

This change needs to include building more accessible drug and alcohol
treatment facilities in neighborhoods that have been hurt the hardest.

The commission said it is looking at drug policies that are based on
methods that have been proven to help reduce crime, lead to better
health and promote economic and social development.

The best approach is to treat drug and alcohol addiction more as a
health-related problem and less as a criminal problem. The same shift
in thinking occurred in the mental health industry years ago, and the
changes have been dramatically better.

Drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and
treated if the right programs are accessible.

The government must still secure the nation's borders to try to keep
illegal drugs out of the U.S. and should continue to target large drug
traffickers. We don't favor legalization of any of the drugs that
currently are banned. This is about a shift in emphasis. Let's treat
more and jail fewer.

Over the past 40 years, it's estimated the government has spent more
than a trillion dollars on the drug war. While jails and prisons are
packed with offenders, it can be argued that America is not much safer.

It's time for a change in policy that addresses those with addictions.
Spending money in those areas is the best way to assure that addicts
get the help they need to become productive citizens.