RESPOND TO METH IN POLK

How should Polk County respond to illicit methamphetamine use ["Polk
Still Seen as Meth 'Hot Spot,'" Sunday]? During the crack epidemic of
the 1980s, New York City chose the zero-tolerance approach, opting to
arrest and incarcerate as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile,
Washington 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:
www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/187490.txt.

ROBERT SHARPE, MPA Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington