As a person in long-term recovery from addiction disease, I strongly urge Californians to vote "Yes" on Proposition Five, the Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation Act on Tuesday, November 4.

This act continues the state's leadership role in cost-effective, science-based approaches to addiction. NORA in no way condones or excuses criminal acts, but places these behaviors in perspective and responds with appropriate health and rehabilitation actions. This evidence-based initiative saves lives, money and human potential.

Opposition from the Bush Administration's so-called "top drug cop" is by itself a strong reason to pass Proposition Five. ONDCP Director John Walters has consistently supported policies of punishment, discrimination and incarceration that are expensive, demeaning, and ineffective – recycling offenders to lives of increased illness and harm to themselves and others.

Walter's claim to provide treatment in jails is weak to non-existent, not even reaching the proverbial "lipstick on a pig" status. He has been unwavering in championing policies of revenge that sound tough, cost millions, and fall flat.

NORA extends California's successful leadership, demonstrated and authenticated by Proposition 36. It provides community-based treatment (instead of prisons), more trained health specialists (instead of guards), and more restoring of lives (instead of recycling offenders.) It also saves significant money for California taxpayers, as demonstrated by UCLA studies.

The initiative addresses a delusion we have passed onto a generation of mothers rich and poor: that we must get our children arrested in order to get them critical interventions and restorative care. In California and across all of America, we not only fail our young people in early stages of addiction, we fail to treat their diagnosis for addiction while they are incarcerated.

A New York Times editorial this week is entitled "The California Prison Disaster," pointing out that even though prison costs are ten percent of the state budget, the system's health care is so "woefully inadequate" that a federal lawsuit may result in another $8 million bill to California tax payers.

Yet the future is hopeful for individuals and families afflicted and affected by alcohol and other drug issues, and the taxpayers who finance the damage that untreated addiction delivers. I am hopeful because four factors are growing the climate for early and appropriate responses to addiction:

First, the American public is fed up with the idea that jail is the best and most appropriate place to deal with the nation's addiction epidemic. They want change. Second, science on the brain and addictions has given us new tools, new hope, and new reassurance that recovery is possible on a large scale. Third, there is a new focus by addiction health professionals and primary care professionals to address disease in early stages and in all health care settings.

And fourth, the recovery community – people like me – are standing up to fight discrimination, policies that don't work, and policy makers that are stuck in ideology and malfunction – defending and supporting a War On Drugs that is really a War on People.

NORA, Proposition Five, is a step toward a world that reduces addition to a manageable health threat – instead of an epidemic. It is the cost effective path. It is the science-based path. And it is the right path for a nation that values life.

Johnny W. Allem is a national recovery advocate, author and lecturer. He is a former member of the CSAT Advisory Council (SAMHSA), a former mental health administrator, and creator of the Recovery Ambassadors Leadership Training Program.