Thu 21 Feb 2008
A Drug War at School
Random drug testing of students is "an enormously powerful prevention tool"
that more communities and school districts should embrace, the country's drug czar told educators at a regional summit Tuesday. "The most striking thing I hear in talking to students is that the kids feel safer," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In addition to helping in the early identification of students with drug problems, which improves the chances for successful treatment, he said the threat of testing makes it easier for students to decline drugs offered by their peers.
It's Time For A Calculated And Objective Look At The Worth Of Our War On Drugs
It doesn't take a genius to recognize that our current approach to the control of dangerous drugs such as cocaine simply isn't working. Despite government prohibition, such drugs remain relatively easy to obtain, illegal sales generate massive profits that are used to corrupt both politicians and police, drug war costs are ballooning at a scary pace, and we are running out of jail cells for nondrug-related offenders.
Sen. Seeks Leniency For Nonviolent Drug Offenders
About 5,000 people sit in prison in Maryland each year for nonviolent drug offenses. State Sen. Lisa Gladden says she thinks thats a waste and is sponsoring bills to help nonviolent offenders avoid prison and get jobs once theyre back in the community. Ninety percent [of incarcerated people] get out eventually, and we have to do something with them, Gladden, a Baltimore City Democrat, told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Wednesday. One of Gladdens bills, the Smart on Crime Act, has gained support from a coalition of groups. Each year, Maryland spends hundreds of millions of dollars incarcerating people convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses, said LaWanda Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Policy Institute. Marylands scarce prison resources should not be wasted.
Random drug testing of students is "an enormously powerful prevention tool"
that more communities and school districts should embrace, the country's drug czar told educators at a regional summit Tuesday. "The most striking thing I hear in talking to students is that the kids feel safer," said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In addition to helping in the early identification of students with drug problems, which improves the chances for successful treatment, he said the threat of testing makes it easier for students to decline drugs offered by their peers.
It's Time For A Calculated And Objective Look At The Worth Of Our War On Drugs
It doesn't take a genius to recognize that our current approach to the control of dangerous drugs such as cocaine simply isn't working. Despite government prohibition, such drugs remain relatively easy to obtain, illegal sales generate massive profits that are used to corrupt both politicians and police, drug war costs are ballooning at a scary pace, and we are running out of jail cells for nondrug-related offenders.
Sen. Seeks Leniency For Nonviolent Drug Offenders
About 5,000 people sit in prison in Maryland each year for nonviolent drug offenses. State Sen. Lisa Gladden says she thinks thats a waste and is sponsoring bills to help nonviolent offenders avoid prison and get jobs once theyre back in the community. Ninety percent [of incarcerated people] get out eventually, and we have to do something with them, Gladden, a Baltimore City Democrat, told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Wednesday. One of Gladdens bills, the Smart on Crime Act, has gained support from a coalition of groups. Each year, Maryland spends hundreds of millions of dollars incarcerating people convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses, said LaWanda Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Justice Policy Institute. Marylands scarce prison resources should not be wasted.