Pubdate: Sat, 02 Jul 2011
Source: North County Times (Escondido, CA)
Contact: http://www.nctimes.com/app/forms/letters/index.php
Copyright: 2011 North County Times
Website: http://www.nctimes.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1080
Author: arbara Gordon
Note: Barbara Gordon is a Carmel Valley resident.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

LEGALIZING DRUGS NO ANSWER FOR ADDICTS

As a parent and health advocate for over 25 years, I had grave 
concerns regarding Debra Saunders' June 14 article, "Four good 
reasons to end the War on Drugs."

Important to note is that the term 'war' seems to receive a lot of 
hype in the media world, and none in the child advocacy or public 
health world. Maybe because we feel that the word 'war' detracts from 
the real consideration of the human tragedy associated with alcohol, 
tobacco, marijuana and drug use.

In the drug prevention field we know that alcohol, tobacco, marijuana 
and drug use is an adolescent health issue ---- 90 percent of use 
begins prior to 19 years of age. Since we are now talking about 
children when we discuss drug history and policy, it becomes very 
important to look at the arguments presented by Debra Saunders 
carefully to separate truth from myth.

First, drug use is not increasing. According to a June 15 news 
release from the Office of National Drug Control Policy: "Overall 
drug use in the United States has dropped substantially over the past 
thirty years. In response to comprehensive efforts to address drug 
use at the local, state, Federal, and international levels, the 
number of Americans using illicit drugs today is roughly half the 
rate it was in the late '70s."

Second, we need to let go of the old argument that "prohibition 
didn't work." Prohibition of alcohol has been an ongoing issue in 
America since the early 1800s and is intertwined significantly with 
the suffrage movement because they often shared the same historical leadership.

Alcohol prohibition has been a women's issue for centuries because it 
was women and children whose lives were most drastically affected by 
drunken husbands and fathers who frivolously spent hard earned family 
money on alcohol and treated their families with abuse.

Together prohibition, alcohol taxes, state regulatory agencies and 
community policies such as the Social Host and Responsible Beverage 
Sales and Service have brought alcohol use in America to its lowest level ever.

Third, I'm very confused about the statement that a drug conviction 
would have eliminated Bush, Clinton, and Obama from being president. 
The likelihood of their drug convictions is minuscule, then and now. 
Prisons aren't filled with minor drug users. Fewer than 1 percent of 
prisoners are there due to minor possession and use of drugs.

The real problem? Sixty-six percent of prisoners have substance abuse 
problems, and roughly 80 percent were under the influence when they 
committed their crime (Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at 
Columbia University).

So let's not think that making drugs legal will make people exercise 
better personal responsibility.

Fourth, forget taxing illegal drugs. Let's raise the taxes on alcohol 
and cigarettes because those two drugs create a nationwide health 
burden. In fact, American Lung, American Cancer and American Heart 
are bringing forward a cigarette tax increase initiative in 2012 that 
warrants our support.

For decades public health advocates have also sought an alcohol state 
tax increase which has not changed for 30 years, but unfortunately 
the alcohol industry's stranglehold on the state legislature has 
prevented that. Let's increase the tax on alcohol to compensate for 
the true health and societal burden of alcohol abuse of today.

It is important to remember who uses drugs when the legalization of 
drugs is an argument. Decriminalization would increase alcohol, 
tobacco, marijuana and drug use by teens ---- the age group who 
typically is the most sensitive to legal restraints, availability and 
community messaging. Teens can ill afford to interrupt forever their 
successful journey into adulthood.

I sometimes think folks who advocate for legalization don't have 
alcoholics, smokers or drug addicts in their families where they 
would observe their unhappiness, and the pain and expense they cause 
those who love them. Who would ever support a plan that increases that?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom