THINKING THE UNTHINKABLE

As a participant at the Edmond Town Hall meeting on drugs and addiction, my
comment is that two notions seemed to rule the minds of those on the panel
and in the audience. The notions are odd since they were not expressed in
the week-long series of articles preceding the meeting.

The first was the notion that ending substance prohibition is unthinkable.
The second was that parenting skills or lack of them are causally connected
to children becoming or not becoming addicted.

It seems difficult for younger people to remember that ending alcohol
prohibition in the '20s and '30s also was thought to be unthinkable. Yet
turning over the production and distribution of alcohol to the criminal
element was far worse than legalizing it with tight controls, regulation
and taxation. When enough people finally connected the dots, they voted to
repeal alcohol prohibition. The criminal element was out of the picture and
people no longer died from drinking "bathtub gin."

Unfortunately, the public today has yet to connect the dots and so ending
substance prohibition again seems unthinkable. Paradoxically, few today
believe alcohol should be illegal in spite of the fact that it is a leading
killer, far more lethal than marijuana, which can't kill rats regardless of
dosage.

The Edmond task force cannot rule out ending substance prohibition as a
better solution than the failed War on Drugs. Any attempt to end substance
prohibition would require uncommon courage and persistence.

Regarding the second strange, but widely held, notion regarding the
importance of parenting skills in preventing children from becoming
addicted - this notion is as strange as believing parenting skills are
responsible for a child developing Down's Syndrome, schizophrenia, diabetes
or a particular sexual preference.

To the question about what part parenting skills play in addiction, the
leading opiate psychiatrist in Oklahoma replied "none." To the question of
what factor does play a major part in addiction his reply was "genetics."
Of all the models of what causes addiction, it is the bio-genetic model
that is accepted by professionals. The moral model is the least accepted
and the poorest on which to base legislation.

Dawnetta Russell, student assistance counselor at Edmond Memorial, said,
"Addiction does not have a socio-economic preference. Whether it's
methamphetamines, marijuana or alcohol - it has no gender.

Finding solutions will not be possible with the "in-the-box thinking"
evident at the Town Hall meeting.

Solutions will not be found with current law enforcement notions of locking
up sick people, drug courts, drug dogs, community service or substance
prohibition. Edmond needs experts on the task force - not notion-ruled lay
or law enforcement persons.

The city of Edmond is leading the way in a pattern of open discussion I
hope becomes a model for the rest of the nation.

- - Ron du Bois, Co-Founder, Drug Policy Force of Oklahoma