Pubdate: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 Source: St. Augustine Record (FL) Copyright: 2003 The St. Augustine Record Contact: http://www.staugustine.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/771 Author: Floyd A. Christopher AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION Editor: I agree with the guest editorial of Sept. 6 that said too many drug people are going to prison, etc. However, I do not see any existing offering of something different or any plan to change this deplorable situation. I would like to offer my suggestion. To be effective it needs to be nationwide. It amounts to government controlled drugs, where drugs are free. Setting up centers in all areas where an addict can go to sign in, get a card and his drug of choice, stay there until the effects wear off, then go home or to work or whatever. This would do many things for our country, and our people. 1. It would stop the need to steal to support the habit. 2. It would take drugs out of the gutter and put those that use them into the light. 3. The causal user would quit using. 4. The real addict who spends all day, every day figuring ways to get his drugs will not have to steal to get them. 5. Free is hard to beat and the addict can go to work and keep his children, take care of his wife, and never have to buy drugs again and thereby destroy his home and family. 6. The drugs he no longer has to buy will eventually take the dealer off the street. 7. No more giving drugs to our children to make another buying customer. 8. Real treatment can be given, and if it doesn't work he can still get his drug free. 9. Since he cannot leave the facility with any drugs, he cannot add to the problem. 10 When we are not addicting to the problem by making new addicts, the drug problem will die out in time. 11. There will be rich people who will continue to buy drugs but they will eventually either be caught or forced to accept the free drugs to destroy themselves by the 10 to 20 times the present street cost to stay supplied or go to jail. 12. The drug enforcement people zero in on those big dealers that supply those that continue to buy. There would be no more street corner pushers, no children being addicted. This whole drug culture will be a thing of the past. As it is now, if we continue as usual we will soon have everyone in prison and cure nothing, stop nothing. No drug dealers are short of drugs. No interdiction has worked. In short, we have only added to addiction and even those in jail will one day be released. What do you think they will be doing to your children and mine? We as a nation (and to stay a nation) must make a turn and do something different. Costs will be far less than keeping people in prison two or three years or 20 or 30. Floyd A. Christopher, St. Augustine - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens