DRUG POLICY

Gov. Jeb Bush put on a nice, weepy stage job while speaking to attendees at
the Florida Drug Policy Summit. Though we may empathize with the pain of
having a family member who has drug problems, we find it difficult to
muster sympathy for Bush's plight.

While Noelle is whisked from a Tallahassee jail to a posh treatment
facility within hours of her arrest, we observe tens of thousands of
Floridians who will be arrested this year on nonviolent drug-possession
charges. These unfortunates will be shoved into the county jail and state
prison system.

Bush and his drug czar, James McDonough, have stated that more than 80
percent of prison inmates are in need of drug treatment, yet the governor
had no qualms about eliminating next year's in-prison drug treatment
funding this past January. The governor and his czar have stated for the
past three years that treatment funding is much smarter than continuing to
feed the insatiable jail and prison industry, and then they wage a 12-month
war against a proposed ballot initiative that would allow all Floridians
the right to drug treatment like Bush's daughter is now enjoying.

Being a male who enjoys smoking marijuana, I realize changing my name to
Noelle might be silly. However, I am giving serious consideration to having
the court make me a Bush. In case of future arrest, perhaps then I would
merit tears from the governor as well.

Stephen Heath, Clearwater