PENCE TAKING DRUG POLICY IN RIGHT DIRECTION

For the better part of five years -- since methamphetamine first
grabbed its stranglehold on this region -- local law enforcement has
delivered a consistent message.

This isn't a law enforcement problem; it's a community problem. And
until every aspect from prevention to treatment to incarceration is
given equal attention, issues with drugs will only worsen.

Lt. Gov. Steve Pence is taking this message statewide, and his
proposals last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee to shift the
focus on fighting drugs are welcome news.

Pence is the clearly the right man at the right time to lead this
change. For far too long, the issue of combating drugs has been a
political hot potato. Enforcement was almost always favored over
treatment, because leaders who advocated treatment feared being
labeled soft on crime.

That can't be said of Pence, a former federal prosecutor who has
played a role in putting plenty of drug offenders behind bars. His
acknowledgment that enforcement alone will never truly address the
problem shows not only his understanding of the issue, but the fact
that he has been listening to the many concerns of prevention and
treatment professionals.

Under Pence's proposals, the state would look to put nonviolent drug
offenders in treatment, rather than jail being the first option. Part
of that effort will be to expand the use of drug courts, something
that has proven to be both successful and more cost-effective than
prison.

The plan also calls for reducing the state's inmate population by
about 12,000, eliminating the evidence testing backlog at state crime
labs by April and conducting a review of the state's drug problem and
resources available within the next five months.

One sticking point could be that Pence may defer the opening of a
1,000-bed prison in Elliott County, which happens to be in the
district of House Democratic Leader Rocky Adkins.

The concern of Adkins is understandable, considering the prison will
provide about 300 jobs. But part of the reason Kentucky has such a
problem with drugs is that prisons have been viewed as an economic
development tool. When the state builds a $90-million facility -- such
is the case in Elliott County -- there must be a reason to justify its
existence, so offenders are sent to jail, where it costs about $17,000
annually to house them, rather than treatment, which costs about $5,000.

For all it offers, Pence's plan isn't without faults -- the most
glaring being how much of it will be funded. Less than 10 percent of
Kentuckians with a substance abuse problem are getting the treatment
they need. Yet, even with such a low number, treatment resources are
already stretched thin. It's difficult to see how simply reallocating
resources will provide the money necessary to really make a dent in
the problem.

The answer may rest in the state's Medicaid system, which doesn't
currently pay for substance abuse treatment. If eligibility rules were
amended to include substance abuse treatment, Kentucky could receive
$70 from the federal government for every $30 it spends on drug and
alcohol treatment.

More attention to funding will be needed as details of the plan become
more clear. But Pence's plan should be pursued, because it changes
state policy from one that simply perpetuates the problem, to one that
will actually reduce the devastation caused by illegal drug use.