THE WAR ON DRUGS COSTS FAMILIES DEARLY

Aurie Hall of the Open Society Institute's Criminal Justice Program is to be
commended for making the case for drug treatment ("Breaking free," Opinion
Commentary, June 1). A study conducted by the RAND Corp. found that every
additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers
$7.46 in societal costs. But there is far more at stake than tax dollars.
The drug war does not promote family values in the way that some people
would have us believe.

Children of inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness,
addiction and delinquency. And not only do children lose out, society as a
whole does, too.

Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the
equivalent of providing them 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.

Robert Sharpe Washington

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.