DRUG MONEY SHOULD PAY FOR TREATMENT

Last November, Oregonians voted two to one to pass Measure 3, reallocating
drug forfeiture money from law enforcement "exclusively" to drug treatment
"unless another disposition is specially provided by law." Now the city of
Eugene is entertaining the notion of allocating this money, an estimated
$195,000, to the city's general fund.

The Local Alcohol and Drug Planning Committee believes that the first
intent of Measure 3's language was to allocate those funds to treatment. I
chair the committee, which advises the Lane County Board of Commissioners
on ways to reduce alcohol and other drug use and related problems in the
county. From my vantage point of being surrounded by Lane County's best and
brightest alcohol and drug experts, I can tell you there is great need for
funding treatment.

There are significant gaps. Residential treatment serves people with the
most severe addiction problems, yet it is the least accessible service. As
the number of residential treatment beds for adults has decreased over the
last two years, waiting lists have grown longer. Also, the cost of
providing alcohol and drug use treatment on the Oregon Health Plan has
caused a significant reduction in reimbursement rates to treatment
providers (up to 30 percent in most cases).

Funding alcohol and drug treatment has not been a top priority in many
federal, state and local budgets, even though its effectiveness is well
documented. A 1996 report by the state of Oregon, "Societal Outcomes and
Cost Savings of Drug and Alcohol Treatment," shows very positive results
for Oregonians who successfully completed alcohol and drug treatment.
Arrests declined by 33 percent, and violent crimes decreased by 23 percent.
Wages increased by 65 percent and reliance on food stamps was cut by 66
percent. Emergency room visits were cut by 53 percent and child welfare
cases were reduced by half.

The study concludes that each Oregon tax dollar spent on substance abuse
treatment saves more than $5.50 in criminal justice costs, victim losses,
theft losses and health care services. Not only does treatment turn lives
around, it also is a wise investment for taxpayers.

None of us ever dreams that we would need to send a friend, family member
or even ourselves into alcohol and other drug treatment. Yet 15 percent of
Lane County's adults have problems with alcohol and/or other drugs. Almost
60 percent of the 1,262 Lane County youth who last year entered the
juvenile justice system reported involvement with alcohol or drugs. And 80
percent of Lane County's 300 probationers under the age of 18 are either
drug affected or addicted.

Inadequate treatment services do nothing for the hundreds of people who
need help. Currently, there are no residential treatment services for boys
in Lane County unless they are involved in the criminal justice system. The
county's only residential treatment service for girls is Willamette Family
Treatment Services, which has received more than 200 requests since January
for residential treatment beds for girls under age 18. WFTS had only six
beds to fill this great need. Sadly, since Oct. 1, much of the funding for
those beds went away, shrinking young girls' access to treatment.

Further, there is no appropriate facility for youth to detoxify from
alcohol or drugs before they enter residential treatment. As parents or
caregivers, we can send our kids out of the county for treatment, but that
option makes it very difficult for families to participate in the treatment
process, which is essential for successful recovery.

The first entry into treatment for many adults is the Buckley
Detoxification Center - the only publicly funded detox agency between
Medford and Salem. Buckley is always threatened with closure for lack of
sufficient funding. Buckley Detox Center currently has 22 beds, but
expenses have grown more rapidly than funding. As a result, Buckley can
only operate 10 beds, leaving the other 12 beds empty as waiting lists
grow. During the last fiscal year, Buckley provided detoxification services
for about 1,400 people with 17 beds. The numbers of people who can receive
help will surely diminish this year and in the future without additional
funding.

The more tightly treatment facilities are squeezed, the more Eugene's
citizens may suffer: Hospital emergency rooms will see more people who are
drug addicted and in need of medical services costing $300 to 400 a day. (A
Buckley Center bed costs between $18 and $90 per day.) Other social service
agencies that rely upon alcohol and other drug treatment to provide
services to people with addictions will be scrambling to find services for
this population.

Police will spend their time trying to find places to serve this population.

People who are drug addicted and need treatment will take up more jail beds.

Drug overdose deaths will increase.

It is clear that there is a great need for the Measure 3 dollars to be
allocated to alcohol and drug treatment. It is also clear that a balance is
needed between law enforcement and treatment approaches to reduce drug
abuse and related crime. Funding drug and alcohol treatment is an effective
way to help improve public safety and the health and well-being of children
and families.

We ask the city of Eugene to allocate those Measure 3 funds to alcohol and
drug treatment. We hope citizens will show their support by telling the
council to allocate Measure 3 dollars to much-needed alcohol and drug
treatment.