LEGALIZING DRUGS NO ANSWER FOR ADDICTS

As a parent and health advocate for over 25 years, I had grave
concerns regarding Debra Saunders' June 14 article, "Four good
reasons to end the War on Drugs."

Important to note is that the term 'war' seems to receive a lot of
hype in the media world, and none in the child advocacy or public
health world. Maybe because we feel that the word 'war' detracts from
the real consideration of the human tragedy associated with alcohol,
tobacco, marijuana and drug use.

In the drug prevention field we know that alcohol, tobacco, marijuana
and drug use is an adolescent health issue ---- 90 percent of use
begins prior to 19 years of age. Since we are now talking about
children when we discuss drug history and policy, it becomes very
important to look at the arguments presented by Debra Saunders
carefully to separate truth from myth.

First, drug use is not increasing. According to a June 15 news
release from the Office of National Drug Control Policy: "Overall
drug use in the United States has dropped substantially over the past
thirty years. In response to comprehensive efforts to address drug
use at the local, state, Federal, and international levels, the
number of Americans using illicit drugs today is roughly half the
rate it was in the late '70s."

Second, we need to let go of the old argument that "prohibition
didn't work." Prohibition of alcohol has been an ongoing issue in
America since the early 1800s and is intertwined significantly with
the suffrage movement because they often shared the same historical leadership.

Alcohol prohibition has been a women's issue for centuries because it
was women and children whose lives were most drastically affected by
drunken husbands and fathers who frivolously spent hard earned family
money on alcohol and treated their families with abuse.

Together prohibition, alcohol taxes, state regulatory agencies and
community policies such as the Social Host and Responsible Beverage
Sales and Service have brought alcohol use in America to its lowest level ever.

Third, I'm very confused about the statement that a drug conviction
would have eliminated Bush, Clinton, and Obama from being president.
The likelihood of their drug convictions is minuscule, then and now.
Prisons aren't filled with minor drug users. Fewer than 1 percent of
prisoners are there due to minor possession and use of drugs.

The real problem? Sixty-six percent of prisoners have substance abuse
problems, and roughly 80 percent were under the influence when they
committed their crime (Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia University).

So let's not think that making drugs legal will make people exercise
better personal responsibility.

Fourth, forget taxing illegal drugs. Let's raise the taxes on alcohol
and cigarettes because those two drugs create a nationwide health
burden. In fact, American Lung, American Cancer and American Heart
are bringing forward a cigarette tax increase initiative in 2012 that
warrants our support.

For decades public health advocates have also sought an alcohol state
tax increase which has not changed for 30 years, but unfortunately
the alcohol industry's stranglehold on the state legislature has
prevented that. Let's increase the tax on alcohol to compensate for
the true health and societal burden of alcohol abuse of today.

It is important to remember who uses drugs when the legalization of
drugs is an argument. Decriminalization would increase alcohol,
tobacco, marijuana and drug use by teens ---- the age group who
typically is the most sensitive to legal restraints, availability and
community messaging. Teens can ill afford to interrupt forever their
successful journey into adulthood.

I sometimes think folks who advocate for legalization don't have
alcoholics, smokers or drug addicts in their families where they
would observe their unhappiness, and the pain and expense they cause
those who love them. Who would ever support a plan that increases that?