Pubdate: Mon, 28 Mar 2005
Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ)
Copyright: 2005 East Valley Tribune.
Contact:  http://www.eastvalleytribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708
Author: Kirk Muse
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)

'TOUGH ON DRUGS' POLICIES DON'T WORK

Regarding Arizona attorney general Terry Goddard's column: "A little 
inconvenience can help fight meth" (Opinion 2 March 21: I agree. Keeping 
the ingredients of meth behind the counter is certainly a lot better 
solution than the previous non-solution of building more and bigger prisons.

Oklahoma learned the hard way that the so-called "tough on drugs" policies 
don't work and they are very expensive.  Largely because of their "tough on 
drugs" policies, Oklahoma became the fourth highest state for incarcerations.

Largely because of our war on drugs policies, the United States has been 
transformed into the most incarcerated nation in the history of human 
civilization.  Even though we in the U. S. have fewer than 5 percents of 
the world's population, we have more than 25 percent of the world's prisoners.

In other words, one out of every four prisoners in the world in locked in 
an American jail or prison.  What message does this send to the rest of the 
world?

Kirk Muse

Mesa 
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MAP posted-by: Beth