cannabisnews.com: DrugSense Weekly March 24, 2000 #142 DrugSense Weekly March 24, 2000 #142 Posted by FoM on March 24, 2000 at 22:28:24 PT Critics Call Drug Czars Report to Congress Failure Source: DrugSense Critics Call Drug Czar's Report to Congress Clear Evidence of Drug War's Failure Death, Disease, Incarceration, Drug Availability All Up at Price Tag of $19.2 Billion. On Thursday the Office of National Drug Control Policy will present Congress with an annual report on the results of the Drug War. Drug Czar General Barry McCaffrey claims "substantial progress" in the fight against illegal drugs in the past year. Critics challenge his criteria for success."It is senseless to claim success when the death, disease, incarceration and suffering resulting from current drug policy continue to rise," said Ethan Nadelmann, director of the Lindesmith Center, a leading drug policy institute in New York. Nadelmann points to the following indicators of the public health costs of drug use and current prohibitionist policyDeaths associated with illicit drug use are at a record level. In 1997, the last year for which records are available, there were 15,973 deaths - up 1,130 from the previous year. Heroin overdose deaths have jumped dramatically in many parts of the country. According to the White House report, only 40 percent of addicts who needed treatment received it. Drug related transmission of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C continue to climb. Nationwide, one in five new HIV infections in women are attributable to injection drug use.The United States now incarcerates more than 400,000 people for drug law violations. That represents an eight fold increase since 1980, and is roughly equal to the number of people incarcerated in western Europe for everything.The federal government now spends close to $20 billion per year, and state and local governments at least that much again, on combating illegal drugs -- yet cocaine and heroin are more plentiful and cheaper than anytime in the past two decades. "The current approach, with its drug free rhetoric and over- reliance on punitive, criminal justice policies costs billions more each year yet delivers less and less. U.S. drug policy needs a new bottom line -- one that focuses not on reducing the total number of people who use drugs but rather on reducing the death, disease, crime and suffering associated with both drug use and drug prohibition." Nadelmann said. "If the government were serious about the health and welfare of its citizens, it would take the following steps tomorrow. Make appropriate treatment available to every addict who seeks it, including methadone maintenance - which has been proven to be the most effective treatment for heroin dependence. Make sterile syringes readily and legally available through pharmacies and needle exchange programs in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. The United States is alone among advanced industrialized western nations in refusing to provide a penny for such programs, which save lives without increasing drug use.Stop incarcerating citizens for drug possession, repeal federal mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, and return sentencing discretion to judges.Related Articles & Web Site:The Lindesmith Center http//www.lindesmith.org/DrugSense Weekly March 24, 2000 #142http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/2000/ds00.n142.htmlDrugSense Weekly - March 10, 2000 #140http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5031.shtmlAre We Really Winning The War on Drugs? http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5175.shtmlCannabisNews MapInc. Archives:http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/list/MAP.shtmlDrugSense FOCUS Alert # 165 Saturday March 18, 2000http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5119.shtmlDrugSense FOCUS Alert # 164 Sunday March 12, 2000 http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread5052.shtmlMAP - DrugSense Websites:http://drugsense.org/http://mapinc.org/http://pdfa.org/Web Sites MAP - DrugSense Supports on it's Servers:http://cannabisnews.com/http://csdp.org/http://familywatch.org/http://november.org/http://pdxnorml.org/Web Pages MAP - DrugSense Supports for Others:http://www.drugsense.org/ccc/http://www.drugsense.org/CCUA/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfar/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfca/http://www.drugsense.org/dpffl/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfhi/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfoh/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfor/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfva/http://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/http://www.drugsense.org/lccc/http://www.drugsense.org/ncct/http://www.drugsense.org/ucc/http://www.drugsense.org/udpf/http://www.mapinc.org/dpft/http://www.mapinc.org/drcn/More Being Added Frequently! Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on March 25, 2000 at 05:07:07 PT: It's basic economics, you don't need to be Allan Greenspan to figure it out.Given the enormous amount of talent and resources that the Federal government has at its' disposal, you'd think that the ONDCP had at least one economist on hand. An economist would have told them that since the quality of the hard stuff has risen, and the prices have fallen, then obviously there is something wrong with the Administration's arithmetic. The Billions it has spent has only *increased* the availability of drugs, not diminished it. It has caused the dealers to concentrate on not only quantity, but quality of the quantity. If I recall my college economics classes, there is a point beyond which any effort applied to an endeavor may actually hinder progress rather than aid it. I believe it is called the 'law of diminishing returns'. Evidently, the Klinton/Whore administration has not yet figured this out, despite the legions of bean-counters it has at it's fingertips. They have just increased the amount of money used in fighting the WoSD to nearly $20 Billion US. And they are nowhere near to accomplishing their goals than than another Administration was - 86 years ago when the madness began. Hmmm. If only they'd ask... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: