News / Health & Wellness
U. S. Mayors Call for Change
Drug Rehab Treatment Urged Versus Incarceration
“We cannot continue to build jails that only punish drug offenders,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director of Narconon Drug Rehab. “Unless we have viable methods of drug rehabilitation, we are facing a society of jailed drug addicts who could be positive role models in society once they are drug free and productive. To incarcerate someone who has a drug problem when they can be rehabilitated is non-viable to our society.”
This sentiment is shared by many. A resolution, passed recently at the US Conference of Mayors, states that the forty billion dollar annual budget for the war on drugs has neither cut drug use or demand. It describes current drug prevention programs as “costly and ineffective.” The resolution calls for reduction of negative consequences associated with drug abuse, condemns mandatory minimum sentences, calls for more treatment funding and alternatives to incarceration, and the use of drug war money at the local level.
Because drug treatment is declared to be both cost effective and contributive to public safety, Newark Mayor Book recently stated that he was prepared to go to jail to protest a war on drugs that he felt was killing his community and called for placing non-violent offenders in drug treatment programs and halfway houses – not prisons.
“Let your elected officials know that it is time to bring the war on drugs home,” comments Ms. Rieser. “We need workable drug education and drug treatment at the local level. Effective education and drug treatment could reduce the number of offenders before incarceration even happens.”
For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call Narconon of Georgia at 1-877-413-3073.
Copyright © 2008. Narconon of Georgia Inc.(www.drugsno.com) Call 1-877-413-3073. All rights reserved. Narconon and the Narconon Logo are trademarks and service marks owned by the Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.
