Pubdate: Thu, 11 Aug 2005
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2005 The New York Times Company
Contact:  http://www.nytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298
Author: Terry O'Neill
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1277/a01.html

CRYING WOLF ABOUT METH ABUSE?

To the Editor:

The national media are uncritically reporting methamphetamine as the
worst-ever drug epidemic, frustrating efforts to rationalize our
response to a genuine and evolving public health problem.

Last year, the New York Legislature finally got around to making the
most modest of changes to the Rockefeller drug laws, which were
hastily enacted in the early 1970's to address a heroin epidemic and
in the late 1980's to address a crack cocaine epidemic.

Time has shown that these phenomena hit our population like successive
strains of the influenza virus. The most susceptible people are struck
down, the infection grows less virulent, and society develops a tolerance.

Unfortunately, the ill-advised laws we adopt in time of crisis remain
in place long after the crisis has passed and do long-term social damage.

We should bear that in mind lest the media-fanned hysteria over
methamphetamine lead to a new round of bad lawmaking.

Terry O'Neill

Albany, Aug. 9, 2005

The writer, a lawyer, was a criminal justice adviser to Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.
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