BENEFICIAL AMENDMENT WILL HELP ALL OHIOANS

Readers of last Sunday's Dispatch editorial "Constitution abuse," on the
Ohio Drug Treatment Initiative, should also consider:

* Ohio's Department of Rehabilitation and Correction reports it costs
$22,000 per year to keep an individual in prison; the Ohio Department of
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services reported that average treatment costs
are less than $4,000 per year. The savings will pay for the initiative and
leave money for education, health, etc.

* Any Ohio ballot measure that appropriates money must be a constitutional
amendment, as former governors recognized in proposing bond issues. The
only way to guarantee funding -- and savings -- for the initiative was to
write it as an amendment, too.

* This initiative does not decriminalize anything. It offers treatment for
first- and second-time nonviolent drug-use offenders, but provides for
incarceration of those who do not meet treatment requirements. Offense
levels are not changed.

* The initiative is the logical extension of the present drug-court system.
To expand the drug-court concept will take initial funding to achieve
potential tax savings. Only half, or 24, of Ohio's drug courts process
adults. In January, the state treatment system reported that 19 of the 24
drug courts that it funds were serving a total of 1,385 clients. Last year,
more than 6,000 Ohioans were charged with felony drug abuse or possession
vs. the 1,500 treated through adult drug courts.

Every year, thousands of young Ohioans get a scarlet F for felony
convictions. This disqualifies them for student loans and makes it
difficult to find employment or become productive citizens. Ohio deserves
drug-treatment policies that have a solid resources commitment and are not
subject to political, financial or reactionary expediency.

Ohioans should pass this amendment.

Edward J. Orlett,

manager, Ohio Campaign For New Drug Policies, Columbus