Shape Drug Penalties To Fit The Offense

] ALCOHOLISM begins with the first drink, states one of the slogans of the drys. There's not much of a defense against that kind of logic. It reminds us of catechism 1 lesson No. 1, expressed in Jingle form: "In Adam's f all, ;we sin-ned all." Which is to j;say when we first drew Ibreath, our pristine innoIcence was corrupted by our I contact with the world outI side the womb. But just as one drink does not an alcoholic make, neither does one joint an addict make. In arguing for re'duced penalties on certain drug convictions, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health said that some misguided people still see a youngster who smokes one joint as a dope fiénd. The drug field is an area of severe laws and harsh mandatory penalties. Michigan law sets down a mandatory 20-year prison term for conviction of selling narcotics. It doesn't matter whether the pusher is selling pot or the hard stuff, he still gets a 20-year sentence. THE PENALTY does not . have a deterrent value. The sale and possession of drugs are on the increase in Michigan. A 20-year jail stretch has not had much of an inhibiting effect. Juries ought to be able to reach a fair decisión with more choices than they now have. Their options are limited. They should be given the opportunity to be more lenient, especially in pot i cases, but the law doesn't distinguish between pot and the hard stuff. Narcotics law r e f o r m I should include: more I tions for juries, removal of I the mandatory sentence in I marijuana cases and I ing the classification of some I irug offenses from felonies I ;o misdemeanors.