TERRORISM WAR IS HURTING DRUG WAR

Not everyone is pleased with the progress being made in the war against
terrorists in Afghanistan. International drug dealers are hoping for a very
long war, because that means business will continue to be very good for them.

Indeed, the illegal drug trade has been doing quite well since Sept. 11.
The explanation for this is simple. Resources used for drug interdiction
have been diverted to fight the war on terrorism.

Ships and planes used to make drug seizures have been deployed to assist in
terrorism patrol duties. Many Drug Enforcement Administration agents have
been reassigned to terrorism-related duties.

This is a troubling development in terms of combating drug abuse in this
country - including the suburbs. The Daily Herald recently published an
investigative series revealing that club drugs and snortable high-grade
heroin have become drugs of choice in a segment of the suburbs' teen and
young adult population. These drugs have contributed to at least 13
suburban deaths in just the past two years.

But the weakening of the drug interdiction network to fight terrorists is
also, ironically, a blow against the war on terrorism itself. Terrorists
have found a strong and steady source of income from drug- trafficking
profits, profits that are now going up.

The federal government is limited in what it can do about this problem. As
well as the war in Afghanistan is going, Washington is not in a position of
firming up the drug-interdiction infrastructure anytime soon. Over the long
run, this is bound to put more pressure on state and local law enforcement
to step up drug investigations, and it is not safe to assume they have the
full resources to meet this challenge.

The thinking, then, has to go toward controlling the demand for drugs
through a stronger emphasis on treatment. This can be done through wider
use of treatment programs that work, such as drug courts in which drug
offenders benefit from tightly supervised programs aimed at breaking addiction.

It has always been a good idea to give the right amount of attention to the
treatment component of an anti-drug effort. But it is even more important
now to emphasize drug education and treatment to diminish demand, with the
surge in drugs coming into the country.

Dealers are finding holes in the enforcement net meant to nab them, but
they can't escape the law of supply and demand. With less demand, there are
fewer buyers, smaller profits and less incentive to sell their awful product.