Ethics

Former Drug Czar: Treatment Better Than Prison

By Ed Brayton

St. Louis Today reports:

American taxpayers would save more than $46 billion if drug addicts now in prison were instead treated, according to a study released Friday at a national convention of drug court professionals.

Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a former U.S. drug czar, and actress Melanie Griffith joined experts in calling on lawmakers to increase funding for such courts.

"This is not a war on drugs," McCaffrey said. "This is a problem for our families in America. In order to turn drugs around in this country, we're going to have to treat those 1.5 million people who are addicted."

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on June 05, 2008 (boomark / email).