Pubdate: Sat, 19 Aug 2000
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2000 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  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.
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1183/a07.html

DRUGS AND CRIME

I agree with Judy Mann that our state and federal criminal justice system 
should focus more on treatment and less on incarceration for nonviolent, 
drug-addicted offenders ["Drug War's Failure Opens Door to New Tactic," 
Style, Aug. 16]. For this reason Attorney General Janet Reno, Secretary of 
Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and I have supported expanding the 
number of drug courts, which offer court-supervised drug treatment programs 
in lieu of incarceration. The number of drug courts has grown from a dozen 
in 1994 to more than 416 in October 1999--with 279 more in the planning 
stages. The number of federal inmates receiving residential substance-abuse 
treatment increased from 1,135 in 1992 to 10,816 in 1999.

Contrary to the impression in Mann's column, the federal system is not 
locking up large numbers of drug addicts for simple possession. During 
fiscal year 1998, only 33 federal defendants were sentenced to jail for 
base offenses involving less than 5,000 grams of marijuana; 196 criminals 
were sentenced for crimes involving between 1 million and 2.99 million 
grams of marijuana. And only 55 federal defendants were sentenced for drug 
crimes involving 25 grams of powder cocaine or less. Meanwhile, 749 federal 
defendants were sentenced for crimes involving 5,000 grams or more of 
cocaine, with 249 of these cases involving more than 150,000 grams.

At the state level, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that as of 
July 1997, 222,100 state inmates were incarcerated for drug offenses. Of 
these state drug offenders, more than 70 percent were incarcerated for 
trafficking, as opposed to possession. More than 82 percent of the total 
state prison drug-offender population had prior criminal histories--23.6 
percent of them were violent recidivists.

Finally, the notion that drug users harm only themselves is misguided. Each 
year, drug abuse costs our society more than $110 billion in the form of 
higher insurance rates and the suffering (human and fiscal) of drug crimes. 
Drug users kill and injure countless innocent people in on-the-job and 
drugged-driving accidents. A National Transportation Safety Board study of 
182 fatal truck accidents revealed that 28.9 percent of the drivers had 
used marijuana, cocaine and/or illegal stimulants--compared with just 12.5 
percent for alcohol. Columbia University reports that adult substance abuse 
exacerbates seven of every 10 child abuse or neglect cases. Drug users 
commit a disproportionate share of the crime in this nation.

Mann's opinion notwithstanding, Americans do not want drugs legalized, and 
they overwhelmingly support our balanced approach to the problem. And why 
shouldn't they? The latest studies show that in just one year, overall 
youth drug use has fallen by 13 percent. The number of drug-related murders 
has dropped to the lowest point in more than a decade. And a study released 
in July found that workplace drug use has fallen to an 11-year low.

Americans should welcome a debate about the most effective approach to 
dealing with chronic drug offenders in the criminal justice system. But a 
healthy debate requires a full understanding of the facts.

Barry R. McCaffrey, The writer is director of the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy.
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