DrugSense FOCUS Alert #113 Tuesday June 29, 1999 McCaffrey's Attempt At An Offensive Makes Great Target! TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, DONATE, VOLUNTEER TO HELP OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS PLEASE SEE THE INFORMATION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS FOCUS ALERT *PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE* DrugSense FOCUS Alert #113 Well, McCzar has finally done it; he's been goaded (probably by the press response to last week's hearings, plus the Geraldo NBC special) into attempting the impossible: a reasoned defense of the need for prohibition. This is a heaven-sent opportunity to slay the dragon intellectually-once and for all. We can never convince the doctrinaire zanies, but we can persuade reasonable people to consign prohibitionists to the same intellectual pigeon-hole as creationists; McC's just made the classic mistake the French made at Dien Bien Phu- putting all his eggs in a single basket. It's as full of holes as Swiss cheese; it's central flaw is citing the fact that drugs may be both addictive and harmful as an imperative for creation of an additionally harmful and destructive criminal market. As for his claims that America's policy has had some success over the years; mere citation of just some random details of its record is enough to hoot that one right off the stage. This op-ed should provoke the immediate & best efforts of as many letter-writers as possible. Thanks for your effort and support. WRITE A LETTER TODAY It's not what others do it's what YOU do * PLEASE SEND US A COPY OF YOUR LETTER OR TELL US WHAT YOU DID (Letter, Phone, fax etc.) Please post a copy your letter or report your action to the MAPTalk list if you are subscribed, or by E-mailing a copy directly to Your letter will then be forwarded to the list with so others can learn from your efforts and be motivated to follow suit This is VERY IMPORTANT as it is the only way we have of gauging our impact and effectiveness. CONTACT INFO Source: Washington Post (DC) Contact: Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm Note: for best results write your letter off line so you can spell check etc. then paste it into the LTE window at the address above. * Pubdate: Tue, 29 June 1999 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 1999 The Washington Post Company Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071 Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Author: Barry R. McCaffrey Note: The writer is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. DON'T LEGALIZE THOSE DRUGS By Barry McCaffrey Three-quarters of the U.S. population opposes the legalization of psychoactive drugs such as heroin, cocaine, LSD, methamphetamine, and marijuana. Therefore, the term "drug legalization" has rightfully acquired pejorative connotations. Many supporters of this position have adopted the label "harm reduction" to soften the impact of an unpopular proposal that, if passed, would encourage greater availability and use of drugs -- especially among children. The euphemism of "harm reduction" implies that legalizing dangerous substances would reduce the harm these substances cause. In fact, condoning drugs would increase their use and hence their harm. Drug use imposes an unacceptable risk of harm on the user and others. The evidence supporting this viewpoint is chilling: Substance abuse wrecks families. A survey of state child-welfare agencies found substance abuse to be one of the top two problems exhibited by 81 percent of families reported for child maltreatment. Researchers estimate that chemical dependence is present in at least half of the families involved in the child welfare system. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that non-drug users who live in households where drugs are used are 11 times more likely to be killed than individuals from drug-free households. Drug-dependent individuals are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of our nation's violent and income-generating crimes such as robbery, burglary or theft. National Institute of Justice surveys consistently find that between one-half and three-quarters of all arrestees have drugs in their system at the time of arrest. In 1997, a third of state prisoners and about one in five federal prisoners said they had committed the crimes that led to incarceration while under the influence of drugs. Injection-drug users place themselves at great risk. A University of Pennsylvania study of Philadelphia injection-drug users found that four times as many addicts died from overdose, homicide, heart disease, renal failure and liver disease as did from causes associated with HIV disease. Dr. James Curtis, director of addiction services at Harlem Hospital Center, explains: "It is false, misleading and unethical to give addicts the idea that they can be intravenous drug abusers without suffering serious self-injury." Clearly, drugs themselves harm users. A significant percentage of all current drug users are addicted to illegal substances. Addiction is a brain disease that changes a person's neurochemistry. For 4 million chronically addicted people, drug use is not a choice and hence has little to do with personal liberty. Removing the threat of criminal sanctions would eliminate the possibility of forced treatment and condemn countless addicts to miserable lives. One argument given for drug legalization by harm-reduction advocates is that the "war against drugs has been lost." Aside from the fact that this is not a war, much progress has been made. Current drug policies are reducing drug use and its consequences. Drug use in this country has declined by half since 1979. The number of current users dropped from 25 million in 1979 to 13 million in 1996. The decrease in current use of cocaine has been even more dramatic. This is not to say that drug policies cannot be improved. The 1999 National Drug Control Strategy is implementing important changes. The strategy's number one goal is prevention. In the past four years, the administration increased spending on prevention by 55 percent while spending on treatment rose 25 percent. The strategy calls for more treatment in the criminal justice system to break the cycle of drugs and crime. At root, the debate over drug legalization boils down to a question of risk. Studies show that the more a product is available and legitimized, the greater will be its use. If drugs were legalized, the cost to the individual and society would grow astronomically. Removing the criminal status associated with drug use and sale would not make such activity less criminal when drug abuse wrecks young lives. It is criminal that more money is spent on illegal drugs than on art or higher education; it is criminal that crack babies are born addicted and in pain; it is criminal that thousands of adolescents lose their health and the freedom to create a bright future. Harm-reduction advocates tolerate drug use because they consider it part of the human condition that will always be with us. Many other perennial problems such as racism, theft and aggression cannot be extinguished entirely, but we still resist their damage and criminalize the practices. No one argues that we should legalize these activities to make them more sanitary or provide tax revenues. On a judicial level, the question of drug legalization comes down to whether we should legalize destructive behavior. With respect to the individual, society at large and the environment, American jurisprudence has run in the opposite direction. Americans have decided that people do not have a right to ride motorcycles without wearing helmets, drive cars without using seat belts, pollute the environment at will, or endanger the self and others by refusing vaccination or similar life-saving health measures. In general, our laws indicate that self-destructive activity should not be permitted or condoned. Drug consumption damages the brain, which in turn produces other forms of destructive behavior. U.S. law does not grant people the right to destroy themselves or others. Addictive drugs were criminalized because they are harmful; they are not harmful because they were criminalized. The writer is director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. SAMPLE LETTER (sent) Editors: Drug czar Barry McCaffrey observes that despite the "pejorative connotations" attached to the term "drug legalization", one-quarter of Americans-- or 68.1 million citizens-would favor legalization. Of course, reform advocates don't want "legalization" as commonly understood; we desire a regulated market like the liquor and tobacco markets, not an unregulated free-for-all. Unfortunately, the dangers of a completely uncontrolled market are exactly what current drug policies deliver most effectively. McCaffrey claims that drugs are illegal because they are harmful, not vice versa. This claim runs counter to every lesson America learned from alcohol Prohibition. During that "Noble Experiment", deaths from poisoned liquor skyrocketed, cities were controlled by bootlegger gangs, and children had equal access to liquor (because dealers never ask for ID). The parallels to our Drug War are hard to miss; consider, especially, the fact that kids can generally get (unregulated) marijuana more easily than (regulated) alcohol. Prohibition was well-intentioned, but law enforcement is the wrong tool for solving a social and health problem. Regulated markets and treatment on demand are significantly more effective. Keith Sanders IMPORTANT: Always include your address and telephone number Please note: If you choose to use this letter as a model please modify it at least somewhat so that the paper does not receive numerous copies of the same letter and so that the original author receives credit for his/her work. ADDITIONAL INFO to help you in your letter writing efforts 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htm Letter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm Prepared by "Tom O'Connell" () and Keith Sanders ( ) DrugSense FOCUS Alert Specialists TO SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, OR UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS: Please utilize the following URLs http://www.drugsense.org/hurry.htm http://www.drugsense.org/unsub.htm We wish to thank all our contributors, editors, Newshawks and letter writing activists. NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. REMINDER: Please help us help reform. Send any news articles you find on any drug related issue to = NOW YOU CAN DONATE TO DRUGSENSE ONLINE AND IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE DrugSense provides many services to at no charge BUT THEY ARE NOT FREE TO PRODUCE. 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