We Need Action, Not Sound Bites

Tue., Sept. 3, 1996

Anne Windishar For The Editoria

America has a drug problem. And right now, it has a problem talking about its drug problem.

The issue - like many in the current politically charged climate - is being reduced to sound bites and attack lines aimed at currying favor and votes. But politicians must rise above slinging blame and focus on solutions. Too much is at stake.

Drug use among teens has doubled in the last three years; adult use is edging upward as well. Cocaine and heroin prices are down, while the potency of both are up. The volume of heroin crossing America’s borders has doubled to about 10 metric tons since the mid-80s; the Defense Department estimates Americans snort or smoke 300 metric tons of cocaine a year.

And children are getting hooked. Inner cities are crumbling further. Families are grappling with the lure of drugs and gangs.

Lately, there’s been just talk, blame and side-stepping from politicians.

Bob Dole capitalized on a recent government report that showed one in nine teens had tried an illegal drug. Dole accused President Clinton of losing the war on drugs.

That swipe lost some of its bite, however, coming at the same time a San Jose Mercury News series showed Ronald Reagan’s CIA helped funnel crack cocaine to inner-city Los Angeles to finance a revolt in Nicaragua.

Clinton, on the other hand, generally has avoided the topic since hedging on his own youthful marijuana use.

But the search for someone to blame is a worthless exercise.

As for Dole’s insinuation the federal government has been lax, here are the facts, according to a recent Knight-Ridder report: Federal spending on the drug fight increased 13 percent to $13.8 billion a year during the Clinton administration. Most of the increase was in domestic law enforcement, including more prisons and police. Spending for interdiction declined, from $1.1 billion to about $800 million in 1993.

Still, the federal government is deeply involved in the drug fight, employing everything from Navy ships off the coast of Columbia and Venezuela to computer tracking.

The Republican Congress rejected some White House efforts to increase education and treatment spending, yet that’s where the attention should be. The real fight belongs in homes, neighborhoods and communities throughout our country, with preventive strategies and treatment programs.

Those are the things that will stop American’s addiction to drugs, not a string of National Guardsmen standing at the border, and not a sound bite on the 5 p.m. news.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Anne Windishar For the editorial board

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.