ABC NEWS' "WAR ON DRUGS" PROGRAM FAILS TO ADDRESS DEMAND FOR DRUGS

ALEXANDRIA, VA-Last night, ABC NEWS presented an hour long special entitled "War on Drugs: A War on Ourselves," hosted and reported by John Stossel. While the show raised several important questions and made some compelling arguments, Stossel failed to get a balanced viewpoint by looking at what creates the demand for drugs and how we can quell that need.

General Arthur T. Dean, Chairman and CEO of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) said, "I am disappointed that Mr. Stossel simply glossed over the thousands of coalitions across the country who are working every day to reduce the demand for drugs, and helping keep our communities drug free." Dean noted, "While I believe there is a need for discussions in the public arena, I firmly and unequivocally believe that all illegal drugs must remain illegal, and there is no room for negotiation on that."

A central argument of last night's show was that the government should not waste millions of dollars and badly-needed law enforcement manpower to arrest and convict those who are simply carrying drugs, such as marijuana. However, recent statistics discount the program's insinuation that a considerable number of prison inmates are incarcerated simply because of drug possession. Many inmates who may have committed more serious crimes, such as major drug sales or robbery, are sent to prison for drug possession after working out a plea agreement with prosecutors. In Florida, where approximately 60,000 individuals are incarcerated, only 93 were for possession of marijuana. Most plead down from more serious charges or were repeat offenders.

CADCA, and its more than 5,000 members are strongly dedicated to quell the demand for drugs. "If we can get kids, teens and adults to stop taking drugs and having a dependency on them, then there won't be a need for this seemingly never-ending supply of drugs. I really hope to see continued public attention and funding focused toward this aspect of the war on drugs," General Dean said.

General Dean will be available for media interviews this afternoon. Please contact either Betsy Glick or Cliff Kai at the phone numbers and extensions above to schedule an interview.

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Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), home of the Drug-Free Kids Campaign, is the premier national membership organization representing more than 5000 community anti-drug coalitions nationwide, providing training, information and support. These coalitions are local partnerships between parents, teachers, young people, law enforcement, health providers, the faith community, business and civic leaders, elected officials and concerned citizens who unite and mobilize to make their communities safe, healthy and drug-free -- one community at a time.