HOW SHOULD NORTH CAROLINA RESPOND TO THE GROWING USE OF METHAMPHETMINE?

During the crack epidemic of the eighties, New York City chose the
zero tolerance approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many users
as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, DC Mayor Marion Barry was smoking
crack and America's capital had the highest per capita murder rate in
the country.

Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously.

Simply put, the younger generation saw first hand what crack was doing
to their older brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that
crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be done about meth.
Access to drug treatment is critical for the current generation of
meth users. Diverting resources away from prisons and into
cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives.

The following U.S. Department of Justice research brief confirms my
claims regarding the spontaneous decline of crack cocaine:
http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/187490.txt

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy