NON-VIOLENT DON'T BELONG WITH VIOLENT

Oklahoma is not the only state grappling with overcrowded prisons.
Throughout the nation, states facing budget shortfalls are pursuing
alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders. A study
conducted by the RAND Corp. 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. As noted in your
thoughtful March 11 editorial, 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 non-violent 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.

Reference for above-mentioned study: Rydell, C.P. & Everingham, S.S.,
Controlling Cocaine, Prepared for the Office of National Drug Control
Policy and the United States Army (Santa Monica, CA: Drug Policy Research
Center, RAND Corporation, 1994), p. 42.

ROBERT SHARPE, MPA

Policy Analyst