DRUG COURT

Jackson County's Drug Court (May 1, 2002) is definitely a step in the right
direction. Prison cells are hardly appropriate health interventions for
substance abuse, especially considering the unmet need for cost-effective
drug treatment.

Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the
equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in
anti-social behavior.

If politicians are serious about reducing demand for drugs, they're going
to have to tone down the zero-tolerance rhetoric. Would alcoholics seek
help if doing so were tantamount to confessing to criminal activity?

An arrest shouldn't be a necessary prerequisite for rehabilitation. Driving
illicit drug use underground only compounds the problem by forcing addicts
to suffer in silence.

The $50 billion drug war has failed to keep drugs out of prisons, much less
schools. It's time to give drug peace a chance.

Robert Sharpe

Program officer, Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.C.