The posts to this list from people who are concerned that H.F. 1829 will
adversely impact their neighborhoods are well stated, but I believe they
miss the bigger picture.
The average sentence for a drug conviction in Minnesota has increased from
22.9 months in 1988, to 50.2 months in 2002. Meanwhile the number of drug
offenders in Minnesota prisons has skyrocketed from 9% of our prison
population in 1990 to 23% today. At an estimated average cost of over
$29,000 per inmate per year, imprisoning drug offenders costs the $46
million annually.
Do the people who oppose this bill feel that the past decade's crackdown has
truly impacted the drug trade in your neighborhoods?
A frequent criticism seems to be that this bill will make Minnesota a haven
for drug selling. Yet, last month's Sentencing Commission report showed that
Minnesota's sentencing guidelines for drug offenses are far out of
proportion when compared to our neighboring states. We have already tried
driving the drug trade away with severe laws, and it has not worked. There
is no reason to believe that bringing Minnesota's drug penalties in line
with other Midwestern states will have an inverse effect.
For almost twenty-five years our country has been indoctrinated with the
notion that escalating criminal penalties is the only way to deal with the
illegal drug trade. Drug violations now account for more arrests nationally
than any other type of violation, drug offenders comprise approximately 1/4
of our nation's 2 million-plus prisoners, and our government spends at least
$40 billion a year enforcing prohibition. Meanwhile, drug use rates have not
changed significantly in the past decade.
What many people do not see when they consider this issue, is that those who
sell illegal drugs do not by-and-large know, or care about what the
penalties could be. They operate on a principle that they will not get
caught and accept the risk as worth the reward. We could impose life
sentences for all drug sellers, and it still would not change the fact that
as long as prohibition exists, there will continue to be people willing to
engage in a lucrative, unregulated market.
Now before people start writing about how my argument advocates "legalizing
drugs," I want to make it very clear that this is not a black-and-white
issue. Nobody wants a society where crack and heroin are legally available
at any corner store. Yet through prohibition, we have ended up with a
society where these drugs are illegally available on many corners anyway.
Drug policy is a complex issue that our society desperately needs a new
approach to. Absolute prohibition is not the answer. We need to start
talking about concepts such as appropriate regulation, addiction
maintenance, and harm reduction.
And that is where the true genius of H.F. 1829 comes in. Nobody on this list
has yet mentioned its most important provision, which is the creation of a
legal classification for "non-violent drug offenders." This provision would
require that all people who are brought up solely on drug charges be
referred for a drug treatment screening. If they are recommended for
treatment, then they may be diverted into an 18 month program instead of
being sent to prison. A prison sentence may still be imposed if they violate
the conditions of their treatment program, and this designation does not
apply if the drug charges occur in connection with a weapons violation, use
of force, or if the person has a prior conviction for a violent offense.
This measure is a step in the right direction, because it seeks to shift the
responsibility for dealing with drug addiction from the criminal justice
system to health care professionals. According to the Sentencing Commission
report, this could save the State of Minnesota as much as $30 million
annually. More importantly though showing addicts some compassion and trying
to rehabilitate them, rather than blindly tossing them in cells to rot,
might just save a few lives.
Jason Samuels
Whittier
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 08:56:47 -0800 (PST)
From: Barbara Lickness <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: RE: [Mpls] HIGH ALERT - H.F. 1829
To: Dennis Plante <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Dennis is correct. I thought about what Mike Atherton
said and I concur that legalizing drugs and zoning
their sales and public use into a certain area would
be a far better solution than we currently have.
Perhaps not for the drug addict but at least for the
innocent inner-city citizens living with the problem
now. I wonder just what area of the city would be best
to house this activity Mike?
Because drugs are illegal, the street has been made
the supermarket and they have been contained
(unofficial zoning) in certain areas because it is a
convenient way for the government to deal with the
problem. It's not a problem most politicians or
citizens have to deal with. Growing up on Lake Nokomis
then moving to Whittier was certainly an eye-opening
experience for me. My biggest problem on Lake Nokomis
was doggy poo poo on my boulevard. In Whittier it was
making it down my driveway without getting popped.
Quite different worlds.
This bill will effectively decriminalize drug
possession and sales for the most part. The only
punishment will be to the really big pushers. The long
and short of it is that the person will have to
possess $50,000 worth of crack and sell $10,000 of it
to a Certified Reliable Informant (CRI) in order to do
any jail time. That includes sales to minors and sales
at parks and schools. That will eliminate any jail
time for about 99% of the drug dealers in the
inner-city "containment" zones. Just how motivated are
the cops going to be to arrest someone for drugs when
they know nothing is going to happen to them. Boy,
it's gonna be a fun summer. Good Luck Chief McManus. I
hope he has cops over there testifying about the
impact this legislation will have on the inner-city.
I also hope that both Mayor R.T. Rybak and Mayor Randy
Kelly will have people testifying about this
legislation. I can't imagine the mayors of Rochester,
Duluth or Mankato are too happy about it. They all
have growing drug problems too.
My understanding is that this bill is being pushed
because of a growing methamphetamine problem in rural
cities and towns. They are finally experiencing what
we have been living with in the inner city for a very
long time. My hunch though is that these crimes don't
have as many guns attached to them as the ones
committed in the inner-city. There is no room in
prison and treatment options are 30 days in length.
So, rather than legalizing drug use or spending money
to add prison space or provide better treatment
options, we are just going to decriminalize it. Sweep
the problem under the inner-city carpet.
It's very easy to recommend legalization as a solution
to the drug problem when you don't live with it at
your doorstep everyday. I understand why Mike Atherton
espouses such an attitude. He doesn't have to care
that kids in Phillips or the northside are dodging
bullets because his house and his wife and kids are
nestled far from the violence. So it's easy for Mike
to examine the issue from an academic perspective then
pontificate on it.
But, when you are up to your eyeballs in alligators
you don't talk about how great it would be to have
them as pets if they would just stop biting you. You
run.
I think this bill is just plain bad news for the city
period. Regardless of the fact that the worst drug
offenders are concentrated in certain areas of town
this will affect the whole city. We already have
people migrating here from other cities because we
have a booming market of drug buyers. We have seen
numerous reports that over 60% of the drug purchasers
stopped are not from the city at all but from the
suburbs, towns and even other states like Wisconsin. I
wonder how different things would be if Maple Grove or
Eden Prairie were the hotbeds for drug entrepreneurs?
I at least hope there are a ton of people from Mpls.
that will go testify on Thursday.
Barb Lickness
Whittier
=====
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
------------------------------
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