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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 1990)
Editorial (Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln Amy Edwards, Editor, 472-1766 Bob Nelson, Editorial Page Editor Ryan Steevcs, Managing Editor Eric Pfanncr, Associate News Editor Lisa Donovan, Associate News Editor Brandon Loomis, Wire Editor Jana Pedersen, Night News Editor Bill unconstitutional Boot camp won’t solve drug problem Boot camps for drug offenders. Mandatory drug testing for anyone arrested of a misdemeanor with a one-year jail penalty or a I felony. It sounds like a list of demands from a maniacal dicta j tor in a militaristic society. But it isn’t. It’s real life. Today. In Nebraska. State Sen. Jerry Chizek of Omaha introduced the bill, 1 and testimony Wednesday before the Judiciary Committee | showed that he actually has some support for it. Kind of scary, huh? LB 1205 would let the Nebraska Department of Coirec tional Services create a lifestyle similar to that of military I boot camps for prison inmates. Judges could sentence any offenders to the program they feel would benefit from it. Programs at the boot camp would include drug rehabili tation programs, a dress code, marching drills and calis thenics. U.S. Rep. Peter Hoagland of Nebraska, who helped draft the bill, said boot camps would give offenders three I to four months to develop discipline and self-esteem. Talk about a contradiction in terms. Boot camps would do just the opposite. The drug rehabilitation might develop self-esteem, but subjecting $ drug offenders to the same lifestyles placed on prison ; inmates would make their self-esteem lower than it was I before they started using drugs. The mandatory testing section of the same bill would allow police to test offenders for drugs or alcohol directly after their arrest, and the results of that test would be admissible evidence, to be used by the courts for any purpose. Not only is that kind of scary, it’s kind of unconstitu tional. Dorothy Walker, representing the Nebraska Civil Liberties Union, said at the hearing that the drug-testing clause of the bill would not stand up to a constitutional challenge. Of course it wouldn’t. Why would Chizek even think it was possible? Once again, our state senators have proven that they know little about the real causes and effects of drugs, by offering solutions that will do nothing to solve the prob lems. At the same hearing, the committee heard testimony on LB976, which would establish drug-free zones around all elementary, secondary, post-secondary and vocational schools, as well as playgrounds, youth centers, public swimming pools and video arcades. This bill makes a little more sense, in that it tries to carry a message to both children and dealers that Nebras kans won’t tolerate drug abuse — especially when it’s directed at their children. But making penalties harsher in drug-free zones sends a second message to dealers and people who use drugs. It’s awful to sell or use drugs around a school or play ground, but not as bad to use or sell them several blocks | away. No one wants children using drugs. No one wants drug 7 use to spread further in our country. But applying different sets of rules to different people — or areas — only makes dealing with the drug problem more difficult. - Amy Edward* for the Daily Nebraskan letter—1_ The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Letters will be selected for publi cation on the basis of clarity, original ity, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit all material submitted. Readers also arc welcome to sub mit material as guest opinions. Whether material should run as a let ter or guest opinion, or not to run, is left to the editor’s discretion. Lcucrs and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be relumed. Letters should be typewrit ten. Anonymous submissions will not be considered for publication. Letters should include the author’s name, year in school, major and group affili ation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Ne braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. AMERICAN HISTORY200 Using drugs is a matter of choice Decriminalization and education of children solutions to problem Briiiinnnnggg!!! Yceiiiihhhhhh!!! My alarm catapults me out of slumber at 11 a.m. My brains scrambled in sleep, I yawn myself into the shower and then yawn myself to class. Feeling too tired to continue, 1 stop at a coffee shop downtown for a quicker-pickcr-upper. “Yes I’d like some methamphet amincs, please,” I ask the surprised attendant. Nervously she replies that kind of thing is not serve here. I grab a cup of coffee and spy the last scat in the house. I have to share a booth with two older, overweight businessmen, obvious boo/.e hounds, who look wide awake, sweating in somnia. Bored out of my mind, I decided to eavesdrop on their conver sation. They were discussing the Boot Camp bill for drug offenders.4 Thai’s a great idea,” one said. 4 4If you’re going to use drugs in this great coun try, you’ve got to pay.” The other agreed. “Yea, drugs are destroying the national integrity of our land,” he said. Just then, the waitress came over with their food - a whole assortment of things stinking of cholesterol. On my way out, I asked the wait ress what the gentlemen beside me were having. “That would be the businessman special: eggs, bacon, buttered toast, peanuts, three martinis and eight cups ol coffee, with cigarettes in-between,” she replies. Everyday, everywhere, we keep hearing about drugs, the drug war, how it's taxing society, how it's de stroying lives, etc. From drive-by shootings of innocents to the humbled cries for help from Drew Barrymore and Elizabeth Taylor, we’ve become a nation preoccupied with drugs. The problem that faces America is how to deal with the menace of drugs. There have been numerous propos als; decriminalization, education and all-out war, to name a few. The current approach is William Bennett and President Bush’s all-out war on drugs. This SI 1 billion plan for 1990 consists of zero-tolerance laws, elimination of federal financial aid for college students testing drug positive and public flogging of drug offenders in Delaware, among other things. During this war, billions will be spent haphazardly to eliminate the problem of drugs; from foreign inter vention and border patrolling, to trials and incarcerations for the thousands of heavy and casual users. Yes, the war has noble intentions, but even SI 1 billion can be spread thinly. Consider who is doing the spending of our tax money -- the bureaucrats -- and their track record for frivolity thus far. Eleven billion bucks won’t do it, how about 20 or 30? So after all the helicopters, drug conventions, arrests and tough talk, where will the drugs be? The same place they arc now. Drugs offer loo much allure, too much money, too much addiction to shut them down. Let’s try the reverse and decriminal ize drugs. Decriminalization is the proposal of the so-called intellectuals in this country. Rather than spend billions on a five-, 10-, 20-plus-year cleanup, why not legalize certain drugs and terminate the problem. That sounds rational, but just how would this plan be pulled off? What would be done with heavy drugs like heroin? Wouldn’t drug use increase? And just how would drugs be sold? Would stands be set up on the street corners? Would bars initiate a Friday Stoners Club? Would we sec com mercials depicting fonner football stars Hanked by boofy women because they use “Bushwackcr’’-brand cocaine? Doesn’t seem possible, so how about educating a society that is either blind or apathetic to the problem. At a fraction of the cost of Mr. Bennett’s war, proper education plans could be implemented in schools. The war could become a mandatory part of school training from the primary grades on up. A program that in volves the family, athletics and com munity. A formal that teaches kids and adults the truth about drugs. A break from today’s educational ap proach of simply regurgitating “Just Say No,’ ’ taught by instructors whose knowledge of drugs is limited to what they’ve read in People magazine. All of this seems pretty easy and logical until you consider the lack of success William Bennett had as the former secretary of education. Just how much success can the drug c/ar have in an educated drug war? Let us consider America’s future. Will we always be waging war on drugs, with innocents caught between? Or. combined with an effective edu cation program, will casual use of drugs be permitted? America supposedly is a free soci ety of educated human beings ca pable of making rational choices with their lives. Are drugs wrong for an informed individual who desires an esoteric version of non-reality from lime to lime? Today’s society views drug use, casual or otherwise, as abnormal, even insane. It’s the, “You’re a greasy, long-haired, friend-of-Jesus rock and roller if you do drugs,” mentality. Once you smoke doobic, you’re al ways a doobic smoker. I once ate so much pizza, I puked; docs that make me bulimic? Once, in first grade, a playmate grabbed my penis; does this make me homosex ual? Nancy Reagan has said that the casual user is an accomplice to mur der. An interesting correlation. So every time Nancy fills her limo up with gas, has she been an accomplice to murder in the Middle East con 11 icts? In the future, in a society where people understand about drugs and arc entitled to the freedom to choose, the drug war may be won. Drug use may increase. And it may not. The pixir may be stamped by it. And they may not. Preaching and throwing money at the problem will not eliminate it. Drugs are, much like alcohol, sex, overeating and tobacco, a choice to be made by responsible, educated adults. Some may enjoy in modera tion, some may become a victim of their choice. No responsible person advocates the use of drugs. Drugs have never contributed anything to society aside from psychedelic art, some poetry, the Beatles’ “Revolver” and many, many casualties. The casualty list includes Jim Morrison, Sid Vicious, Hillcl Slovak, Marion Barry and Doug DuBose, to name just a few. Drugs are much like alcohol and the other vices — some people can handle them, many cannot. But the choice should be theirs. Elvis Presley made a choice. He had it all; money, music and success. Yet in his ignorance, he chose to abuse drugs. He died while naked, sitting on the commode, in a bath room the size of a house, eating Ho Ho’s, drugged out of his mind. Not a good choice. Krugerud in it senior secondary education major and u Daily Nebraskan columnist. Kurt Krugerud
