We're losing stomach for war against drugs

A survey by the respected Pew Research Center indicates that the American public is increasingly convinced that we're losing the war against drugs, and that there's little that can be done about it.

Yet the same survey suggests Americans, although in slowly shrinking numbers, still think interdiction and imprisonment is the right way to deal with this monumental domestic problem.

That means the nation isn't ready for abandonment of the prohibition of drugs in favor of a radical new approach like the "Harm Reduction" model. But it may mean people are changing their minds about whether drug use should be treated as a disease, rather than a crime. They may also be ready for a change in emphasis between punishment and treatment of drug users.

That's good news. Nationwide, as well as in Hawai'i, criminalization of nonviolent drug use has been beneficial to no one but the prison-building industry. Hawai'i continues to drag its feet in mandating treatment for incarcerated drug users — but that may be changing. More money for treatment appears to be in the pipeline, and many lawmakers favor a new facility to relieve prison overcrowding that would be devoted to treatment, rather than punishment.

Attitudes about how to handle our drug problem are changing — none too soon.