ILLEGAL ENTERPRISE EXACTS A HIGH PRICE ON COMMUNITY

Imagine the urban core of Kansas City, Kan., playing host to a business
that generates more than $25 million of retail activity over several years.

Sounds like a winner, doesn't it? Especially in a part of town that's
hurting for retail traffic. Think of the tax revenue. Think of the jobs.

Well, dream on. You won't find this business in the Yellow Pages. Its
owners won't be attending next week's annual meeting of the Kansas City
Kansas Area Chamber of Commerce. And it certainly won't be paying taxes.

That's because this particular retail business, which apparently had no
trouble cultivating a loyal customer base in the urban core and even
outside Wyandotte County, is illegal.

It goes without saying that drug dealers occupy a special retail niche in
the nation's poorer neighborhoods. Nothing illustrates this better than the
federal drug charges leveled last week in Kansas City, Kan., in two
unrelated cases, against 17 individuals.

Last Tuesday, authorities announced they had charged 10 persons with
conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and related crimes. Their take:
about $3.2 million over three years, with much of the money acquired
through transactions made in the open near 12th Street and Quindaro
Boulevard. Those transactions, authorities allege, left this poor
neighborhood terrorized and even scared some members of a residential
church away from their services.

Then, on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's office in Kansas City, Kan.,
announced that it had charged seven persons with distributing about $26
million worth of cocaine. Some of the dealers had been at it as long as six
years, authorities said.

So there you have it: nearly $30 million of economic activity. When you
consider that cocaine sells for about $12 to $35 a gram, according to the
Drug Enforcement Administration, you're talking about a lot of transactions
disrupting the lives of a significant number of this city's residents.

Not only did these residents have to put up with the simple nuisance of
unwanted traffic on their streets, they had to endure the intimidation that
traffic brings, the occasional shooting, the worry that their children
might be lured into the business.

And that's just from two drug operations. Which means we're in
tip-of-the-iceberg territory when it comes to the amount of drug money
passing through this community.

It also means that a few more enterprising souls who aren't afraid to break
the law will fill the vacuum left by the latest charges.

Police Chief Ron Miller implied as much when he said that the impact of the
charges, though significant, was "relatively short lived."

"Drug trafficking continues unabated in America," Miller said. "We need the
neighborhood groups to cooperate with law enforcement agencies to be
successful."

True enough. We can't underestimate the value of community watchdogs, just
as we can't underestimate the value of investing in a strong police force
to stop the flow of drugs.

But we also need to curb the demand for these drugs. The best way to do
that is to invest in the institutions and programs that make for a healthy
community. I'm not talking about "Just say no" campaigns or even the more
sophisticated television ads filling the airwaves these days.

Namely, more support is needed for those addicted to drugs. You can use
whatever scare tactics you can dream up to discourage drug use, but the
fact remains that a significant percentage of people will always be curious
about drugs. Some of the curious will try them, and some will get hooked.

So, if you want to make Miller's job a little easier, support efforts that
help drug addicts kick their habits. That means pressuring insurance
companies to provide better mental health and drug treatment coverage. It
means convincing your elected officials to funnel more money into drug
programs that have shown results.

Without efforts like these, we'll be forced to watch millions of dollars
wasted on an illegal enterprise.