REHAB THE LESSON FROM NOELLE'S PLIGHT

Surely, everyone has heard about President George W. Bush's niece Noelle
Bush and her stint with the law ("Jeb Bush's daughter out of jail, back in
drug rehab," Oct. 27), where she was charged with possession of crack
cocaine and sentenced to 10 days in prison.

Rather than seeing this as another event in which people of higher stature
are easily given second chances, the public should focus on this young
woman's addiction and realize that continued rehab provides a more
efficient alternative to swift punishment.

Obviously, this incident could be another situation where a first-time drug
offender violates probation because of an unwillingness to listen, but the
truth is that the problem might actually be, as columnist William Raspberry
writes, "the power of the addiction" ("First-time drug abusers don't need
jail time," Oct. 22).

Not all drug abusers neglect the advice they receive from preventative
programs or view their punishment as a mild setback. Instead, these people
are just incapable of controlling their addiction, which calls for more
effective rehab, not more severe consequences.

As of this moment, penitentiaries across the United States are crammed with
ridiculously high numbers of prisoners who are mostly repeated drug offenders.

Wouldn't it be more sensible for these drug abusers to receive additional
rehab as opposed to stern punishment?

Why waste the nation's tax money on expanding these overcrowded prisons
when the logical solution could be to simply provide adequate rehab,
ensuring that these misunderstood individuals can finally conquer their
addictions.

Mark Begonia, Brandon