EFFECTS OF METH MAY DETER YOUTH

How should Oregon respond to illicit methamphetamine use? During the
crack epidemic of the 1980s, New York City chose the zero tolerance
approach, opting to arrest and prosecute as many offenders as
possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., 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 firsthand 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.

ROBERT SHARPE, MPA

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.