Most of us are familiar with “three strikes laws” for habitual offenders. The idea is to require the courts to hand down mandatory and extended periods of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of serious criminal offenses on three or more separate occasions. It seems more than appropriate for Sen. Bill Diamond to propose something along those lines for someone convicted for repeated operating under the influence infractions.

While the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs supports strong laws for OUI, we strongly believe that these should be the last resort – and our members support both the Department of Public Safety and the attorney general in their enforcement and adjudication of these laws.

The fact is, by the time a driver, such as the Winslow man who was convicted for the 12th time for drunken driving, gets behind the wheel while under the influence, the system has already failed. And that – in our opinion – is because too few people know about, avail themselves or refer friends or family members to the substance abuse prevention and treatment programs available in Maine.

It’s easy to “sell” throwing multiple offenders in jail – especially after they’ve maimed or killed a person or a family. But for every one of those alarming media stories, there are dozens of far less exciting tales about your co-worker, your next door neighbor or his son, daughter or even grandmother who’s being successfully treated for everything from binge drinking to prescription drug abuse to opiate addiction. The member agencies of MASAP manage to meet the needs of many of these people and get them the help they desperately need before they go out on the road and injure someone. MASAP agencies do substance abuse and addictions prevention and treatment. These are a lot more cost effective and have better outcomes, than sentencing people to jail.

But we aren’t as successful as we’d like to be. We need your help. How? We’re asking you to be aware that substance abuse and addiction isn’t restricted to junkies in back alleys; it’s in every neighborhood in every single town in Maine. Substance abuse affects every one of us and carries with it a wide range of related social, legal, economic and medical problems. Its economic costs are staggering. Prevention and treatment dollars are an excellent investment. In 2000, the cost of substance abuse in Maine was $618 million. That’s $485 for every Maine resident. The total law enforcement, judicial, corrections and other crime costs alone were $129 million. And substance abuse affects individuals and their families in ways that can’t be economically quantified.

Treatment isn’t about pandering to offenders; it’s to promote safety in our communities. Law enforcement must be our immediate response to alcohol- and drug-related crime and violence. But arresting and incarcerating substance abusers does little over time to make our streets safer. The only meaningful long-term answer to substance abuse related crime is to reduce demand through prevention and treatment.

So, while we’re looking at bills to maximize sentences for repeat OUI, let’s also support prevention and treatment for substance abuse. Every dollar spent on treatment, for example, leads to a $7.46 reduction in crime-related spending and lost productivity and saves taxpayers $7, according to a study conducted by the RAND Corp., a nonprofit research organization.

Pay less up front or pay more later – which makes more sense?

Ruth Blauer is the executive director of the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs.