>Sender: >To: >X-Original-Message-ID: <157901bf3857$d1f35a80$9acf69cf@pacbell.net> >From: "Peter McWilliams" >Subject: Fw: [] !!! Dr Ernie Drucker: Fighting A Losing Battle >Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 13:47:22 -0800 >X-Mozilla-Status: 8003 >X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Peter Webster >To: ; >Sent: Thursday, November 25, 1999 3:09 PM >Subject: [] !!! Dr Ernie Drucker: Fighting A Losing Battle > > > > Pubdate: 20 Nov 99 > > Source: Canberra Times (Australia) > > Contact: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au > > Website: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/ > > Section: Forum page C3 > > Author: Catriona Jackson > > > > FIGHTING A LOSING BATTLE > > > > It is not easy being a drug-law reformer in the United States because > > there's simply no public debate about the virtue or effectiveness of > > fiercely punitive drug policy, according to Dr Ernie Drucker. > > > > In a political system where the religious Right dictates to both parties>on > > issues like drugs and abortion, you are either on the side of the > > righteous, or you are branded a "legaliser", the kind of person who would > > feed crack to a baby, he says. > > > > Drucker has run a methadone program - one of the few in the US - in the > > Bronx for the last 20 years, and has spent most of his life pushing against > > the stone wall of the "just say no" approach to drug policy. > > > > He is the first to admit that he has made very little progress. Not only is > > harm minimisation unpopular, Bill Clinton's chief drugs adviser, General > Barry McCaffrey, has declared the phrase a cover for legalisation, and it > > is not used in any US drug policy document. (Australians will know > > McCaffrey from the fuss this week at the drugs in sport conference). > > > > Drucker says McCaffrey's visit to Australia is part of an organised > > campaign to spread misinformation about what is happening in the US, and it > > is working. Sweden and Japan are very strong allies. > > > > Drucker, who will visit several Australian universities and drug programs > > in the next year, says coming here is about learning from others, but also > > about trying to regain some optimism about the possibility of change. He > > finds it hard to understand why Australia should take advice from his home > > on US drugs policy, which he describes as destructive and > > counter-productive. What we can learn from the US, he says, is what not to do. > > > > When AIDS came along in the mid-1980s, the stakes were raised: drug > > injecting wasn't just killing people through overdose, but spreading deadly > > disease as well. Drucker and friends tried to introduce a public-health > > approach, with needle exchanges to stem the spread, but they were able to > > do very little. US attitudes about drug use and drugs users were "so > > primitive, so rooted in fear and prejudice,that it was very hard to make > > that transition". > > > > The then ALP Health Minister Neal Blewett visited New York in the mid- > > 1980s and, on his return, a nation-wide system of needle exchanges was set > > up. Australia now has one of the lowest rates of HIV infection in the > > western world. > > > > "Drugs are not the principle problem in America, the laws are", Drucker > > says. "Drug users are being locked up at a phenomenal rate, destroying > > their prospects of treatment, or getting married or getting a job." > > > > In 1996, 1.5 million people were arrested for drug offences in the US, with > > a 10-fold increase in imprisonment on drug charges since 1979. Drucker says > > this is not because of an explosion in drug use; as far as it can be > > measured, drug use rates have stayed about the same for the last 20 years. > > But US society has changed the way it deals with drug users. In states like > > Texas and Florida, you can be banned for life from voting if you have a > > felony conviction. > > > > Last year, $US16 billion ($A24 billion) of federal funds were spent on > > drugs; 67 per cent, or $US10.7 billion, was devoted to enforcement, > > interdiction, and supply reduction in the US and overseas. Expenditure on > > these activities has increased 10-fold over the past two decades, while > > spending on treatment has increased only five-fold. > > > > Drucker says many politicians understand that the American approach is > > simply not working, and will say so in private, but not in public. "It is > > political death for any federal politician to seem to be soft on drugs by > > raising law reform." > > > > The laws that determine the illegality of drugs are federal laws, and > > Republicans and Democrats are terrified they will not win office if the > > religious Right campaign against them. > > > > Drug treatment programs are scarce, with only 15-20 per cent of those who > > want treatment able to get it. Unless you are rich, "and then you go to > > Betty Ford between making movies". > > > > Drug courts, which can order treatment instead of jail, were introduced > > about five years ago and were seen as a progressive step. But Drucker says > > that because treatment programs are not adequately funded, those that want > > treatment are being forced out by those who are obliged by the courts to > > attend. Drug treatment has become subjugated to the criminal justice > > system, he says. > > > > The blame for the drug problem is placed on drug users and their families. > > But in the US, the home of the support group, there is no group like > > families and friend for drug law reform because there is too much shame > > associated with drug use for anyone to admit that their family has been > > involved, he says. > > __________________________________________________________________________ > > Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in > > receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. > > --- > > MAP posted-by: Thunder > > > > > > >================================================================ > >This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to > the mailing list . >To unsubscribe, E-mail to: