DRUG TREATMENT ABANDONED

Re: Jeb Bush's campaign stop of Mon., Aug. 12

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush: "Every time I think about my daughter, it's very
hard."

Tens of thousands of Floridians can relate to that statement. Whenever
they think about Noelle Bush, they too feel that "It's very hard."
These would be the families of the more than 50,000 inmates of the
Florida Department of Corrections who saw Gov. Bush eliminate the
entire state drug-treatment budget for the upcoming fiscal year. (The
Legislature later restored just 40 percent of it.) This, less than 36
hours before his daughter was arrested on felony drug charges in
Tallahassee.

Jeb Bush campaigned for governor in 1998 with a promise for
dramatically increasing state funding for drug treatment and rehab,
with a reduction in state-prison and county-jail time for
simple-drug-possession offenders.

In fact, the budget for the upcoming year will be a half million
dollars less than 1999-2000. If we really want to know how Gov. Bush
feels about drug treatment v. jail for low level offenders, we don't
need to read his lips. A simple, honest review of his budget tells the
real truth about the fate of Floridians busted for drug possession
whose last name is not Bush.

STEPHEN HEATH
Public Relations Director
Drug Policy Forum of Florida
Clearwater