1996, p. 41) Although the United States government is spending more money to fight drugs, the approach itself needs to be questioned. Schools are a haven for illegal drugs and this is an area in which a stronger emphasis must be placed. If schools adopt a "no tolerance to drugs" policy as with the "no tolerance to violence," at least the message wi!
             ll be clear. The actual problem is not so much with kids who smoke an occasional joint but with those who regularly use drugs and/or alcohol. For youths living in poor neighborhoods, effective prevention would mean more recreational programs, after-school activities and summer job opportunities. For more privileged students, prevention might take the form of early-warning systems in which teachers, counselors and parents work together to intervene with youths who show signs of getting into trouble with drugs, legal or otherwise. (The Nation, 1999, p. 14) If these simple yet effective preventative methods are taken, youth drug involvement will drastically drop leading to less drug problems in the not so distant future.
             Secondly, and perhaps the most significant, is the problem of drug related crimes. According to an unnamed lawyer who practices law in the criminal courts of Harris County Texas, more than half the people in prison are there because of drug-related crimes. (Decriminalization Article, 1992, p.2) At present, almost 700, 000 people a year are arrested for the sale or possession of pot. (The Nation, 1999, p. 14) Although marijuana possession may not entitle jail time, why are the basic drug laws being broken? In reality, one of the main reasons rampant crime is associated with drugs is the drug trade's great profitability. The money involved is so ready, so substantial, that dealers can always find another recruit to take the place of someone who has just been caught. For those imprisoned, for use or for dealing, incarceration does little more than ha...