ANTI-METH FUNDING WOULD SAVE LIVES

Re: your Saturday editorial ("Worst drug yet merits 'not
even once' edict"):

How should Tucson respond to illicit methamphetamine use? During the
crack epidemic of the '80s, New York City chose zero tolerance,
arresting and prosecuting 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.

The younger generation saw what crack was doing to their older
brothers and sisters and decided crack was bad news. This is not to
say nothing can be done about methamphetamine. Access to drug
treatment is critical for today's meth users. Diverting resources away
from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save tax dollars
and lives.

ROBERT SHARPE

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.