Legalizing Drugs Would Be Terrible Mistake, Panel Says : Narcotics: Advisory board responds to call by three judges for decriminalization.

SANTA ANA — Legalizing narcotics would be an intolerable mistake that could lead to more drug addicts, crime and health problems, said members of an Orange County drug advisory board Tuesday.

“In my opinion, anyone that would propose legalization of drugs is out of touch with the community,” said Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters, a member of the Orange County Advisory Board on Drug Programs.

Walters’ group issued a position paper Tuesday to strike back at three Orange County jurists who have called for a different tack to address the problems of drugs, including the legalization of certain narcotics for adults.

The three-page paper does not suggest new ways to combat the spread and use of drugs. And its advice is one that even those advocating drug legalization support: “Direct more resources into prevention, education, treatment, rehabilitation, economic development and social services--into the root causes of escapist and addictive behaviors.”

The paper, presented at a press conference, is the latest salvo in an ongoing debate among county officials over the best way to curb the crime and devastating effects of drug abuse.

Superior Court Judge James P. Gray sparked the round of debate in the county in April when he publicly advocated legalizing drugs to destroy the strong financial incentive tied to the illegal trade.

Gray--who was later joined by Superior Court Judge James L. Smith and U.S. Magistrate Ronald W. Rose--said the war on drugs is lost and suggested that heroin, cocaine and marijuana be sold at licensed pharmacies and taxed to fund drug education and treatment programs.

But members of the board argue that decriminalizing drugs would only lead to more problems.

The position paper contends that with legalized drugs, the “product use tends to increase when price decreases and availability becomes more convenient. . . . The easy and relatively cheap availability of alcohol and nicotine has given us a nation with millions of excessive drinkers and smokers.”

The paper warns that black markets could develop if certain drugs were legalized and others not. It says that “traffic fatalities and all forms of drug-related, anti-social behavior may increase, perhaps dramatically” if drugs are legalized.

Making reference to the oft-used slogan about the battle to stem the illegal drug trade, the paper says “we have not lost” the war on drugs. “The simple fact is that it’s too early to judge the overall outcome of our efforts.”

Some of the board members feared what type of message legalized drugs would send to children.

“The judges sent the wrong message to the youth,” said Betsy Arnow of the County Department of Education at a press conference. “I think we made a mistake by legalizing our No. 1 drug: alcohol,” she said.

Gray said the paper was a step in the right direction to opening up a public debate over the best way to curb violence and devastation from the illicit drug trade.

But he maintained that “we must do something different” to combat drugs. The board members’ assertion that the war on drugs is not lost “is absurd,” he said.

Rose said that “every time I hear someone say we have not lost the war on drugs I ask, ‘Well, tell us when the war will be over.’ ”

Smith, who was in court most of Tuesday, could not be reached for comment.