FUND DRUG TREATMENT

Given the fact that there is a heroin epidemic in Eugene, why are we having
so much trouble obtaining the necessary funding for Buckley House? Do we
just not care about drug addicts and alcoholics?

I am deeply disturbed by the attitude that is present in our society today
that drug addicts and alcoholics are second-class citizens. The so-called
"war on drugs" has failed miserably. The only way to get people off drugs is
through the services provided at Buckley House. Emergency detox treatment
programs and direction to the various 12-step programs have been proved to
work.

There is not enough money in the world to lock up all the drug addicts and
alcoholics on the streets today. So the next time someone breaks into your
house, desperate for money for the next bag, think about the fact that the
person might have gone looking for help and been unable to find it. Instead,
he or she went back to the bag and the criminal lifestyle to satisfy the
gnawing hunger of addiction.

Drug addicts are sick people who need help getting well, just as cancer
patients need a hospital and medical attention. If we as a society refuse to
provide help for these people, we have failed them and ourselves and will
continue to dump billions of dollars into enforcement, punishment and
incarceration.

Oh, yes, by the way, I have four friends who are no longer with us because
the monster of addiction swallowed them up, so this is actually kind of a
personal and painful issue for me. We do need to step up and do the right
thing.