A legislative proposal to create a public list of convicted drug dealers is stirring the debate on what to do about Maine’s growing problem with drug addiction.
Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Cumberland County, announced last week that he would be sponsoring a bill that would compile an online registry of repeat convicted drug dealers who sell to minors.
The state Department of Public Safety recently released new statistics that show that drug and violent crime perpetrated by addicts is on the rise. While the overall crime rate rose less than 1 percent, violent crime rose 9.6 percent and 2005 was the deadliest year for drug overdoses, 190 deaths, topping the number of motor vehicle deaths last year.
Diamond said the legislative bill is now in its drafting stage and would only investigate the feasibility of such a registry. The registry, as proposed, would revolve around adult drug dealers with multiple felony convictions who target children under 18 years of age, he said.
“Nothing is being done. The policy makers are sitting on their hands and the people who are trying to fight this drug problem are becoming frustrated,” Diamond said. “The worst thing we can do is shrug our shoulders. We need to look for answers.”
Diamond, who chairs the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, came up with the proposal while reviewing the effectiveness of the state’s sex offender registry. This registry, mandated by federal law, lists people convicted of sex offenses, their home addresses and number of convictions.
Diamond believes a similar registry for drug dealers could alert parents to potential drug dealing in their neighborhood and could prevent these drug dealers from preying upon their children.
Lani Kelly, a Republican running against Diamond for the state Senate seat this November, believes Diamond is off-track in his approach to Maine’s drug problem.
“Our problem is not with knowing who are the drug dealers are in your neighborhood,” Kelly said. “Those people who are interested in getting drugs know where to get them. If you have a drug registry, it’s going to be good advertising for these drug dealers.”
Instead, Kelly advocates for further drug education and to provide children with recreational opportunities and mentoring to deter them from drug use.
The Maine Civil Liberties Union is also apprehensive about the potential drug dealer registry, saying the list of convicted offenders could become “a yellow pages for drug dealers.”
Drug dealers are not predators like sex offenders, argues executive director Shenna Bellows, and those who want drugs must seek them out.
The irony of a drug dealer registry is that, with the information published on the Internet for public consumption, convicted drug dealers will have a more difficult time integrating into society and therefore be more likely to continue their illicit business, she said.
“What do you when you can’t get job because everybody knows you have criminal record?” Bellows asks.
Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion supports the registry proposal in its intent, but believes much more must be done to stop drug use in Maine.
Cumberland County Jail holds nearly 500 prisoners on a daily basis, the majority of which are drug addicts or dealers.
“Rather than a drug registry, we could publish a yearbook,” Dion said.
The jail is unique in that it actually helps the imprisoned drug addicts withdraw from their addictions.
However, the limited number of beds at the jail and at local rehabilitation clinics limits the state’s ability to get these addicts back on the path to recovery and increases the chance that these convicts will continue to commit crimes to feed their addictions.
Compiling a drug registry would also take more manpower and law enforcement hours, Dion said.
In reviewing sex offenders for the online registry now in place, Cumberland County detectives and police agencies throughout the state are spending many hours a week in their evaluation of sex offenders.
This sex offender registry met recent scrutiny after a young Canadian man murdered two listed offenders before taking his own life in April.
Dion believes the state must invest in preventing drug crimes through further education and supporting local detectives to investigate drug trafficking.
If the state doesn’t commit more resources to combating Maine’s drug problem, a drug dealer registry would only serve to reflect the state’s failure to prevent these crimes, he said.
“I support the idea that our kids are at risk and I’ll support Diamond’s leadership if we start looking at more tangible real solutions,” Dion said.
Diamond said the proposed bill will probably go to the legislative floor in December.
With months now to discuss details of the proposal, Diamond is hoping his proposal will generate discussion over Maine’s growing drug problem among state legislators.
“We haven’t addressed it forthright as we need to,” Diamond said. “And this is a way to get that discussion going.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
