EDITORIAL
Senate makes progress toward drug treatment

Last year, a worthy bill proposed by Gov. Ben Cayetano substituting probation and drug treatment for incarceration for first-time nonviolent drug offenders was canned by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Brian Kanno.

The bill was worthy because our prisons are overcrowded and treatment is a lot cheaper than incarceration. And while the chances of achieving total, long-term sobriety for a given individual are uncertain, it's still far more likely that individual will emerge a better citizen, requiring no further attention from the criminal justice system, from treatment than from prison.

Now Kanno has changed his mind, somewhat. He proposes to offer, as a constitutional amendment, this question: "Shall nonviolent first-time drug offenders be sentenced to undergo and complete a drug treatment rather than to incarceration?"

With the state facing an estimated $315 million budget shortfall, the savings represented by treatment over imprisonment are a major attraction. "This is a primary means to address budget cuts," Kanno said.

But to his credit, Kanno also allows that the state is failing many incarcerated drug offenders who would benefit from treatment. We've been arguing this for years.

If Kanno comes to believe that treatment for nonviolent drug offenders is simply the better way, then there's no need to pussyfoot around a constitutional amendment. The Legislature can and should simply make it a law.

But putting the question to the voters may be just a bit too clever; that way lawmakers don't have to take a position on it, and can't be blamed either way in the next election.

Judiciary chairman is an important leadership position. Kanno should lead, follow or get out of the way. Treatment instead of incarceration for first-time drug offenders is way overdue and should become law this year.