AN ARREST IN TALLAHASSEE

The arrest of Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter on a charge relating to
prescription-drug fraud demonstrates yet again that the "war on
drugs" is far from won and that no stratum of society is immune from
the ravages of drug abuse.

Noelle Bush, 24, was charged by Tallahassee police Tuesday with
trying to obtain a false prescription for an anti-anxiety drug.

The "war on drugs" has been going on so long that few can remember it
as much more than a political slogan. It falls from the public
consciousness when a more-immediate crisis arises. Incidents such as
the Noelle Bush arrest spark new interest only briefly.

Gov. Bush has been a proponent of harsh punishment for many drug
offenders, but he also has advocated increased emphasis on treatment.
In an effort to balance the budget -- actually, to make ends meet in
an era of no-new-taxes and tax relief for those who need it least --
the governor's Department of Corrections proposes to reduce funding
for its drug treatment programs $13 million. That's a false economy
of absurd proportions, since research has shown that drug-and-alcohol
dependent inmates who undergo in-prison or residential drug treatment
programs are considerably less likely to return to prison. It costs
much less to treat drug addiction than it does to incarcerate inmates
who are repeatedly imprisoned for drug-related offenses.

The Miami Herald reports that the DOC cuts will eliminate in-house
drug treatment in 51 of the state's 55 institutions, the exempted
four being prisons that receive matching federal funds. It will
eliminate 34 percent of the available beds at 20 residential programs.

The Bush family has the resources to provide any treatment their
daughter may need, but few other families are so fortunate. That's
why government must not retrench from fighting drugs on all fronts --
including treatment for those already addicted.

Not all addicts can be rehabilitated through treatment, but that's no
excuse for not trying.