Ben Brown Speaks to DPFOK

Ben Brown, Deputy Commissioner of Drug Abuse Services with the State Dept. of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, spoke to the Dec. 2001 meeting of the Drug Policy Forum of Oklahoma. According to Brown, substance abuse is the number one public health problem in Oklahoma, costing the state $7 billion per year in losses. After tobacco, he said, alcohol costs the most dollars, the most lives and the most injuries. A large part of these losses are due to alcohol abuse and driving while under the influence of alcohol. Ben Brown is a longtime public servant of Oklahomans, serving as an Oklahoma State Representative and Senator from 1980 to 2000. Ben Brown's interest in substance abuse issues began many years ago in 1975. He was instrumental in opening an alternative to jail for persons arrested for substance abuse in Oklahoma City. This saves Oklahoma City $1 million per year. In 1987 he launched Firstep, an environment that supports sobriety, where addicts can live, work, pay taxes, support themselves and receive treatment at no cost. Much work is needed in Oklahoma, where at least 85% of homicides, 75% of divorces and 65% of child abuse cases are related to alcohol & substance abuse. Also 40 to 50% of traffic fatalities are related to alcohol or other drug use. At least 1/3 of suicides and 90% of rapes on college campuses are related to alcohol & substance abuse. Ben Brown's job is to promote education, prevention and treatment of substance abusers. His job is very difficult since it is necessary to obtain funding from a reluctant legislature. For example, while Brown was fighting for the Children Start program, which was finally allowed $15 million for three years, the legislature quickly approved $150 million for prisons, Brown pointed out that prevention and treatment is far less expensive than incarceration. For example, one inmate costs Oklahoma $25,000 per year. They receive no treatment for substance abuse and drugs are available within the prisons. Often, they leave prison in worse condition than when they entered.

We Oklahomans do a dismal job of prevention. We need many more treatment facilities at more accessible locations. There is space for only 642 people. Others who want treatment are put on a waiting list. One youth, while on a waiting list, had a car accident that killed an 8 year old girl. In Oklahoma, 130,000 people need treatment and 85% of those never receive it. Oklahoma is making some progress. A new women's treatment center is being built in Tulsa, and new beds are being added in Guymon and Tahlequah. As for the level of poverty, insurance coverage, undesirable activities and teen pregnancies, Oklahoma is still on the wrong side. We need to talk to our State Representatives and Senators about the advantages of treatment over incarceration. Our state has the harshest laws that put a high percentage of our population in prison, yet very few substance abusers are treated. Oklahomans don't want to talk about substance abuse. They are in denial. Even though Ben Brown is a leading state government authority on addiction and substance abuse, few in the state legislature listen to him. They, like most politicians, fear that if they speak out on drug issues, they will not be reelected. The Drug Policy Forum of Oklahomoa exists to help every one become aware of the negative effects of state and federal drug policies.

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