TREATMENT OPTIONS TURN POLITICAL

Charles Richardson makes a strong case for drug courts in his May 11
column. For non-violent offenders with chronic substance abuse problems,
drug treatment is a cost-effective alternative to incarceration.
Unfortunately, drug courts are being misused for political purposes.

Record numbers of Americans arrested for marijuana possession have been
forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The resulting
distortion of treatment statistics is then used by drug czar John Walters
to make the claim that marijuana is "addictive."

Zero tolerance drug laws do not distinguish between occasional use and
chronic abuse. The coercion of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis
into taxpayer-funded treatment centers says a lot about U.S. government
priorities, but absolutely nothing about the relative harms of marijuana.

For an objective take on marijuana, look to Canada. In the words of Sen.
Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that
cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated
not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue."

The following U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration reports verify my claims regarding government coercion:

. http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/2k2/YouthMJtx/YouthMJtx.pdf

. Treatment Episodes Data http://wwwdasis.samhsa.gov/teds98/tbl_4_4.htm
*Note the criminal justice referral column.

. For more information on the Canadian Senate report:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/com-e/ille-e/press-e/04sep02-e.htm

. The drug czar's deceptive anti-marijuana campaign can be verified at:
http://www.theantidrug.com.

Robert Sharpe

[editor's note:] Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., is a program officer for the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, D.C.