|
Whereas previous administrations commonly framed their
anti-drug arguments in secular terms (i.e., former
President Richard Nixon's "War on Drugs"
or the Reagan administration's "Just Say No"
campaign), Bush's drug war, at least rhetorically,
resembles that of a religious crusade. Financially,
it does too.
In 2002, the Bush administration awarded $477 million
in taxpayers' funding to nearly 500 faith-based programs—many
of which focused on religious-based drug education
and treatment. In 2002, Bush doled out an additional
$568 million in federal funds to 680 self-identified
faith-based groups—programs like the fundamentalist
Christian drug-treatment project "Set Free Indeed,"
that states: "We rely solely on the foundation
of the Word of God to break the bands of addiction.
Once a person ... recognizes that only God can set
them free, the rebuilding process can begin."
Bush gave further accolades to "Set Free Indeed"
last year, identifying its founder by name during
his 2003 State of the Union address and lauding it
as a shining example of federally backed faith-based
drug treatment.
Religion also plays a prominent role in several new,
high profile anti-drug campaigns launched by the administration.
In 2003, newly appointed US Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) head Karen Tandy threw her weight behind a grassroots
anti-drug campaign called "Pray for the Children,"
which according to the group's website, maintains,
"The power of prayer is unequaled" in influencing
adolescents from refraining from drug use. Regarding
her endorsement of the program, Tandy explained, "Drug
abuse is a scourge that attacks a person's soul as
well as body, so it's fitting that the solution should
engage the soul as well."
Bush also recently launched "Faith. The Anti-Drug,"
a multi-million dollar campaign to encourage the religious
community to incorporate pot abstinence into their
spiritual teachings. "Faith plays a powerful
role in preventing youth marijuana use," announced
Bush's Drug Czar John Walters at the campaign's kickoff
party. He added, "We are urging youth ministers,
volunteers and faith leaders to integrate drug prevention
messages and activities into their sermons and youth
programming, and are providing them with key tools
and resources to make a difference."
But is it sound public policy to funnel federal anti-drug
dollars toward such faith-based anti-drug campaigns
and treatment programs? Critics argue that Bush's
agenda harms more than it helps.
"Religious drug treatment programs [like those
favored by Bush] turn back the medical clock to the
19th Century," recently explained Samantha Smoot,
Executive Director of the Texas Freedom Network, a
faith-based initiative watchdog group whose membership
includes over 7,500 religious and community leaders.
"The President values programs that say: 'We
can pray you out of your addiction' more than programs
that say: 'We will treat your addiction with counseling,
medical treatment and spirituality.' Even more outrageous
is his insistence that taxpayers foot the bill for
his dangerous approach."
The American Civil Liberties Union has also weighed
in on the question, contending: "Priests, ministers
and rabbis are the best people to offer spiritual
guidance that can be helpful to people in need. But
many individuals faced with drug addiction ... need
more than spiritual advice. They need people who are
trained and licensed to address their specific physical
and psychological needs."
Of course, that is not to say there exists no place
for Bush's "born again" spirituality in
the ongoing drug policy debate. As Charles Thomas,
founder of the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative,
writes in the May/June issue of the interfaith journal
Fellowship, religious faith can play a pivotal role
in drug policy—though not in the way Bush decrees.
Faith teaches that it's essential that America's
drug laws be just and compassionate, says Thomas.
"People of faith may play an essential role in
building public support for treating drugs as a health
issue instead of a crime. Regardless of whether or
not it's immoral to use drugs, it certainly is wrong
to punish people solely for using drugs. Personal
morality issues should be addressed by the faith community
and family, not by cops, courts and prisons."
Don't tell that to GW, however, who has escalated
criminal drug law enforcement during his Presidency
and overseen the arrests of nearly 5 million Americans
for drug crimes—most for no more than minor
drug possession. Regrettably, like the Crusades of
old where religious transformation typically occurred
"by fire and sword," this administration
ultimately believes that today's drug users federally
ordained path to redemption is best achieved by way
of a jail house conversion.
Paul Armentano is the senior policy analyst for the
NORML Foundation in Washington, DC. He may be contacted
at: paul@norml.org.
|
