WILL HARSH PENALTIES STOP METH LAB ACTIVITY?

In response to "Officials push for tougher drug laws" (Dec.
5):Methamphetamine's addictiveness and harm are proven, and the danger to
children exposed to amateur "meth labs" is unquestionable. Attorney General
Roy Cooper proposes tougher punishments. Do harsher penalties really reduce
overall public harm from this drug?

Meth labs' decades-long transcontinental march against vigorous enforcement
provides a wealth of data and experience to guide policy. Let's better
deploy our finite resources than ritualistically feeding a bloated criminal
justice apparatus.

A cursory look shows meth lab activity in Oklahoma and Alabama unabated
despite harsh anti-drug measures contributing to overloaded prisons and
fiscal peril. We should expect Mr. Cooper to cogently explain why his plan
will succeed this time.

Mett Ausley Jr., MD

Lake Waccamaw