How big a problem is the use of illegal drugs in Indiana? Nobody knows with certainty; they are illegal, after all, and some users exercise a degree of discretion. But an Elkhart County company that makes travel trailers came up with a shocking answer for its own work force.

After mandatory tests for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine, about 40 employees at Keystone RV Co. Inc. tested positive and were fired. That's a third of the employees at Plant No. 304, one of the company's factories in Goshen.

[continues 72 words]

But Reducing Possession Penalties Alone Wouldn't Uncrowd Prisons.

Reducing sentences for some drug crimes wouldn't solve the problem of prison overcrowding, but it's worth investigating. The real answer lies in swallowing hard and paying the cost of the long sentences for more dangerous crimes to protect society.

Easing up on penalties for drug possession is hardly a novel suggestion for reducing prison populations. What's different now is that the leaders of the Indiana Senate and the House of Representatives agree that the time has come for a new look at drug laws.

[continues 658 words]