Pubdate: Fri, 15 Dec 2000 Source: New Haven Register (CT) Copyright: 2000, New Haven Register Contact: http://www.ctcentral.com/ Forum: http://www.ctcentral.com/ Author: Alexandra Cox PUSHING TREATMENT IS NOT 'LEGALIZATION' I am writing in response to the article "Drug legalization focus of gathering." As a co-organizer of this student conference, I was mystified that it had been assessed as a forum for the discussion of legalization. It seems the reporter fell prey to the common illness afflicting all of us who have analyzed the war on drugs and its proponents and opponents a " that it is a battle between legalizers and prohibitionists. The article suggests that the students gathered at the conference promoted the idea of legalizing drugs as a means to end prison overcrowding and to get drug abusers the help they need to beat their habit. As both an organizer and a participant, I observed students and community members gathered together to discuss alternatives to incarceration in Connecticut, and in particular advocating for treatment over incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders entering the system. Is this legalization? Certainly not. And I do not think that the hundreds of thousands of voters in California would believe this either. Those citizens voted overwhelmingly in support of Proposition 36, a measure that will divert over 30,000 nonviolent drug offenders to treatment as opposed to incarceration. That is not to say there were not some proponents of legalization in our audience and amongst our speakers a " they are a necessary and essential part of this movement. However, I do believe that it is absolutely imperative that we understand the conference as it was a " a spectrumof voices advocating for a more sensible drug policy for Connecticut. Alexandra Cox New Haven - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart