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Drug Enforcement Efforts Cannot
Take a Back Seat
You may refer to it as a "war" on illegal drugs, as many of our nation's leaders have, you might call it an ill of our society, which it surely is, or you might refer to it as an unmanageable and unreachable goal (which appears at this time to be true) that would ultimately wipe out illegal drugs in our society.
At any given time, our nation's law enforcement agencies attempts to stamp out drugs in our country can truthfully be placed in to any of the above categories. We have gone from general enforcement, to specialized enforcement, to community policing, to drug czars and about every other style that you can imagine. After all this work, the end result is that there are as many illegal drugs on the street as there ever was. In fact, as different "hot topic" crimes and the threats that they brought with them have come and gone over the years, illegal drugs have become as much a part of our country's culture as anything we have seen. We now have kids who are 2nd and 3rd generation users or sellers whereby their participation in drug trafficking or as drug addicts is simply a way of life. Many Grandmas sit in jail for drug violations while their grandchildren are on the fast track to join them soon.
In my opinion we have three choices to make. We can continue the practice of a willy-nilly drug enforcement policy that is on the front burner one year and on the back burner the next. We can continue to fight illegal drugs only in certain areas while other areas seem to go unattended. We can say, as a nation, that illegal drugs must be removed from our streets but then say that the drug laws are too tough on those who are caught especially when it is our own kids. If we continue this plan, we will be in the same boat fifty years from now that we are in today. Our second option would be to finally allocate the funds that are necessary to really fight the drug problem in our country. We can enhance punishments for those who are responsible for putting drugs on our streets and show less pity to those who are caught as users two, three and four times. We can beef up our borders to slow down the flood of illegal drugs that come across each day in every way imaginable was by holding other countries responsible for agreements and treaties that have been already been signed but have turned in to dusty and yellowed documents in archives across the world. Or thirdly, we can simply legalize drugs. This option would actually be great news to many people who would love to see such a thing occur. The combination of the word drugs and legalization leave a terrible taste in my mouth and I certainly hope that such a thing never occurs. If we are serious about ridding our country of drugs, lets just do it. If not, maybe it is time to throw in the towel and move on to other things. To continue a proactive campaign in policy that is nothing more than a farce in practicality seems like such a waste of time.
Obviously, many things have occurred lately that have not only spread our law enforcement thin, but have caused some programs to basically die on the vine. As important as anti-terrorism, gangs, and many other law enforcement efforts are, we simply cannot afford to soften our efforts on drugs. Illegal drugs serve as a common denominator for so many things that are wrong in our society. Everything from our murder rate, gang crimes, thefts, and robberies of all types can be directly linked to supply and demand issues that illegal drugs bring with them.
The importance of our law enforcement agencies preparing a plan for the eradication of illegal drugs has reached an all time high. Our nation stands at a crossroad whereby whatever decision is made will have consequences for years to come. It is time to get the job done once and for all, or quite simply to move on to another job. Our children and our grandchildren deserve a world that is full of the opportunities that we as a country boast of. However, as long as drugs and those who benefit from the drug trade are present, our childhood memories will be nothing more than fairytale stories that are read behind locked doors because we are too afraid of the dangers that may lurk in the shadows. What an injustice that would be!
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Stan Hall is the Director of the Victim Witness
Program for the Gwinnett County District Attorney's
Office. He is also the host of the Gwinnett County
Communication Network's television show "Behind the
Badge."
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