BUZZED BY DRUG POLICE

There seems to be an interest in my opinion regarding Peter Pinckney and
the "War on Drugs." I would like to assure everyone that my long hair
reflects more upon my spiritual practice than recreational activities or a
desire to just "let my freak flag fly."

For many years, I did not believe that the War on Drugs affected me. As a
parent, I decided to refrain from illicit activities to spare my child the
trauma of seeing a parent arrested.

I had to even quell urges to taste grapes before I bought them, having
learned the hard way that any inappropriate behavior on my part, would
become an excuse to justify some of my child's future behavior.

I paid little attention to the War on Drugs until last summer.

A wild cherry tree is located a few cornfields from my house.

It was a blistering day in late July, when I began my yearly trek to this
tree. After eating my fill, I headed back home. I heard a plane overhead
but paid little attention to it until I was "buzzed." Upon returning home,
I bent over to get the mail from my box. I heard a loud, strange noise. As
I turned, I saw one of Governor Pataki's new million-dollar helicopters
hovering a hundred yards away in a field, staring at me. When I calmed
down, I began to comprehend what happened to me was just another everyday
part of the War on Drugs. It was my belief, that the pilot of the plane
assumed I was returning from a secret marijuana plantation and had radioed
the helicopter to check out my activities. As a taxpayer, I wonder about
the cost-effectiveness of this strategy, especially as we're all faced with
rising taxes and school-budget shortfalls.

I forgot about the incident until this fall, when I was invited to attend a
discussion regarding "Drug Law Reform." An opinion expressed by a
psychiatrist on the panel seemed to make sense to me. He thought that drug
policy should be under the jurisdiction of the mental-health field. He
suggested that the only time police should intervene is when a crime is
committed while someone's using drugs, such as driving while intoxicated.
He pleaded that if mental-health agencies had the resources being used in
the War on Drugs, the users and their families might receive the help and
resources so desperately needed.

As I listened, I realized that this issue is far more complicated than
police arresting junkies before they can rob innocent people to supply
their habit.

The implications make this topic worth at least one more visit. In an
upcoming column, I hope to point out who benefits from the War on Drugs,
the toll on our society and I will discuss Mr. Pinckney's upcoming
sentencing. Before I close, I'd like to say how proud I am of The Citizen
for aiding the Red Cross to acknowledge some discriminatory policies, so
others won't have face the humiliation Michele Sheffied suffered in her
time of need. Peace.