LOCAL WAR ON DRUGS MAY BE SCRUTINIZED

It's too much about arrests, jail time and money, a Madison City Council
member says.

So it's time for a task force to take a hard look at the local war on
drugs, said Ald. Judy Olson, 6th District.

Olson's proposal to assess the cost and effectiveness of local drug
policies - by task force or some other means - is getting support from
police, Mayor Sue Bauman and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

Such a review could have big implications on drug laws and how they're
enforced, and money for prevention and treatment.

On Tuesday, after more than two years of delay, the City Council will
consider Olson's proposal to have the city and county sponsor a serious,
communitywide discussion on drug polices and recommend changes.

The proposal had lain dormant until late last summer, got considered and
endorsed by committees and was sent to Bauman, who has now issued a
two-page report calling current strategies to stop drug addiction and
dealing "ineffective," and endorsing Olson's proposal. indentThat's no
surprise.

In her State of the City address last summer, Bauman called the war on
drugs a "failed strategy" and called for more prevention and intervention
to fight substance abuse.

Bauman, in fact, had challenged city and county agencies to treat substance
abuse and violence as health problems, and vowed to ask Falk to help bring
together health and law enforcement professionals to determine how to
combat problems at the earliest stages.

But the initiative never jelled.

"We were in the planning stages to put the conference together, then 9-11
happened," Bauman said.

The mayor, however, recently proposed that city managers try education and
treatment options rather than discipline against employees abusing alcohol
or using drugs. The city lacks a comprehensive drug policy for employees.

But Bauman isn't sure how to proceed with Olson's proposal, and the mayor's
report offers no process for moving forward. Bauman envisions something
"fluid" with lots of input from experts and the public, but not a task force.

Unsatisfied, Olson said she will propose Tuesday that the city create a
task force of council members, staff and citizens by late June to begin
exploring problems and solutions.

"We need to select a group that's empowered," said Olson, who supports
legalizing marijuana, decriminalizing other drugs and more emphasis on
prevention and treatment.

The police and Falk seem less interested in process than moving forward.

"It is time for the city of Madison, in a collective way, to get serious
about this problem," Assistant Police Chief Noble Wray said. "The response
(to drug abuse) has been one-dimensional. The department is definitely in
support of a multifaceted approach to dealing with the drug problem."

The Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force, comprised of personnel from
the city, county and UW-Madison and with a budget of around near $3
million, made 679 drug-related charges, and seized $763,000 in

If the community embraced a multifaceted strategy, the police would likely
support a reduction in resources for drug law enforcement, Wray said.

But Wray was wary of legalization or decriminalization, noting that the
department's biggest problems relate to the legal drug, alcohol.

Falk, who, too, has pushed for prevention and treatment and three times
vetoed proposed jail expansions, supports an assessment of drug policies.

"We're delighted to have city leaders step up," she said.