Pubdate: Tue, 04 Dec 2001 Source: Herald-Dispatch, The (WV) Copyright: 2001 The Herald-Dispatch Contact: http://www.herald-dispatch.com/hdinfo/letters.html Website: http://www.hdonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1454 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1988/a01.html SUBSTANCE ABUSE SHOULD BE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE Your Nov. 27 editorial mentioned the possibility of alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders as a way of reducing the tax burden on Cabell County residents. A good place to start would be treating substance abuse as a public health issue rather than a criminal-justice problem. The drug war is the main reason the United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. At an average cost of $25,071 per inmate annually, maintaining the world's largest prison system can hardly be considered fiscally conservative. And putting nonviolent offenders behind bars with hardened criminals is a dangerous proposition. Prisons transmit violent habits and values rather than reduce them. Most nonviolent drug offenders are eventually released, with dismal job opportunities due to criminal records. Turning recreational drug users into violent criminals is not a good use of tax dollars. At present, there is a glaring double standard in place. Alcohol and tobacco are by far the two deadliest drugs, yet the government does not make it its business to actively destroy the lives of drinkers and smokers. Would alcoholics even seek treatment for their illness if doing so were tantamount to confessing to criminal activity? Robert Sharpe Program Officer The Lindesmith Center Drug Policy Foundation Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Rebel