TREATMENT FOR DRUG OFFENDERS MUST BE PRIORITY

To the Editor:

Your Jan. 19 editorial was right on target. North Carolina is one of many
states 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 Corporation 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. 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 anti-social 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. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug
war is worse.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

www.csdp.org

Washington, D.C.