STOP TREATING DRUG USE AS A CRIME

In her Feb. 28 letter headlined "Drug court is doing the job," Judge
Elinore Marsh Stormer almost hit the nail on the head when she wrote:
"Treatment works, but for those who commit crimes it works best under court
supervision.... Those who do not commit crimes don't need us."

Drug use itself shouldn't be a crime at all. The narrow-minded view that
all use equals addiction is wrong. Only a small fraction of users become
addicts, and a smaller number resort to criminal activity to support their
addiction.

In countries like Great Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland, where
maintenance programs have been instituted, street crimes associated with
drug addicts dropped significantly. Simply giving addicts their drugs stops
the crime; treatment can then begin, and -- contrary to popular belief in
the United States -- a big stick is not necessary.

Ironically, the same threat of incarceration Judge Stormer uses to keep
addicts in treatment programs also keeps many addicts from seeking help in
the first place. We need to stop treating all drug use as a crime and start
providing treatment on request for those who become addicted rather than
forcing them into back alleys where crime is the only way to support an
addiction.

Jim White Oregon