As Governor, Jeb! opposed the same drug treatment that his daughter got.

TALLAHASSEE -- Even as his daughter seeks treatment for a drug problem, Gov. Jeb Bush is gearing up opposition to a ballot measure that would steer Florida's nonviolent drug offenders into treatment instead of prison.

The proposed amendment to Florida's Constitution, called the Right to Treatment and Rehabilitation for Nonviolent Drug Offenses, hasn't yet made it through all the legal hurdles it needs to before it can appear before voters this fall.

But the Bush administration is so concerned about the measure that state officials started holding strategy meetings last fall at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to figure out how to defeat it. The measure would give certain first- and second-time drug offenders the right to treatment.

It wouldn't apply to people arrested for drug dealing or violent crime. In some cases, people who have histories of violence or drug dealing could get treatment instead of prison, as long as their conviction is at least 5 years old.


http://www.sptimes.com/2002/04/11/news_pf/State/Bush_opposes_ballot_m.shtml