Today’s Agenda

Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders stunned Washington early last month, when she said making drugs legal could “markedly reduce our crime rate” and called for more studies of the issue.

Although the Clinton Administration was quick to distance itself from her remarks, some conservatives and liberals believe the the war on drugs has failed and that it’s time to look at other options, including legalization and decriminalization.

Critics of the war on drugs claim that our jails and prisons are so overcrowded with drug dealers and abusers that hardened criminals are going free.

In today’s Platform, the debate continues, with some agreeing with Elders and others vehemently opposed.

Studies have consistently shown that the majority of Americans opposes legalizing drugs and people like Father Matthew DeMaria, who works closely with drug offenders, believes doing so would be counterproductive.

Father Matthew, pastoral minister at Covenant House, a Hollywood-based shelter for runaway youths under 21, says, “Our attempt here at Covenant House is to try to get the kids off the street and to help them with their drug problem so that they can lead productive lives again.”

When kids run away from home, they don’t always know what they are getting into, says Father Matthew. “When they see the horrors of the street, one of the first things someone introduces them to is drugs and they start using to escape from the sad reality that they now have to live on the street. I see a lot of misery because of the drug trafficking that goes on here in Hollywood.”

Fred Ali, executive director of Covenant House, adds, “We’re really in the business, to a great extent, of trying to expose these kids to values other than the kind that they find out on the street, so that they can make some healthy choices down the road.”

If the country legalizes illicit drugs, Ali asks, what kind of message will we be sending young people?

“I’m afraid that many people will read that message as one that actually condones the use of drugs in this society, that we’ve given up on trying to fight against drug use and drug abuse in this country. I’ve got concerns that it would make my job and the job of anyone who is working with at-risk individuals--who are, in many ways, using drugs as a way to self-medicate, as a way to deal with their problems in terms of hopelessness and despair--that it’s just going to make this job a lot more difficult.”

Ali says that well over 50% of the kids who come to Covenant House say they have problems with substance abuse. And it is a problem that is increasing, not decreasing, he says.

“Over the last three months, within our program staff at Covenant House, we’ve been looking for ways to increase the services that we offer kids in the area of substance-abuse treatment and prevention. We already do a fair amount in that area but we’re seeing the need to do more.”

Clearly, alternatives to the current war on drugs need to be studied. But legalization may not be the answer.