Pubdate: Mon, 04 Oct 2004
Source: Herald Democrat (TX)
Copyright: 2004 Herald Democrat
Contact: http://shermantexas.net/forms/letterform.html
Website: http://www.herald-democrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2710
Author: Jodie Harrison
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1383/a01.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

TIME TO PUT MONEY INTO TREATMENT PLAN

A recent article quoted Sheriff Gary telling our County Commissioners that 
"methamphetamine related crime is the reason for the large number of people 
in jail." Daily police blotters show the majority of these "crimes" is 
possession or sales of the substance. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to 
figure out that reducing the number of methamphetamine addicts will lower 
the number of inmates.

Unfortunately, though, $98,000 of our tax dollars is going to be given to 
someone to figure out why our jail population is growing faster than our 
general population. Three times our per capita annual income is going to be 
spent on something that the gentleman in charge of our jails has already 
revealed! Again, it does not take a rocket scientist to recognize this 
money should be used in a more cost-effective manner.

Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the 
world, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment. Drug prohibition 
finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used 
to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness and 
instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health 
problem it is.

Jodie Harrison, Pottsboro
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D