Here's today's $64,000 question: What should Michigan authorities do about Susan LeFevre?

LeFevre has been on the run for 32 years after escaping from prison in Michigan where she was serving a sentence for selling heroin. The married mother of three, who lives in a posh San Diego suburb, was arrested last week following a tip to Michigan Department of Corrections officials in March.

LeFevre, who has used the alias Marie Day, has waived extradition and will be brought to Michigan within a few weeks to serve her 10- to 20-year sentence for selling heroin. LeFevre's attorney told her that Michigan's tough anti-drug views mean she'll probably have to serve several years, although she'd be eligible for parole in five years, according to a Detroit News report.

What is served, really, by forcing LeFevre to return to prison for an offense committed more than three decades ago? If the point of prison is rehabilitation, it would appear LeFevre has escaped the grip of drugs and has lived a productive life. Does the state of Michigan really want to spend $31,325 a year to incarcerate her for an offense that occurred when she was 19 years old?

Or do we view her case differently because she has been living an upscale lifestyle in a home with palm trees and a swimming pool in sunny California? What if she were a single mom working nights as a waitress and still struggling with her substance abuse demons? Or a recent escapee?

For a long time, our nation got it wrong when it came to drug use. Instead of treating substance abusers, they were locked up in prison. Now addiction is viewed more as a public health issue. With treatment, there is hope for addicts and their loved ones.

LeFevre told the Detroit News that she started using cocaine and heroin after her first boyfriend died while fighting in Vietnam. She also had a rocky relationship with her mother. But Michigan authorities say she was a dealer who sold $2,000 a week in heroin and had several people working for her. LeFevre denies she was a dealer.

This is where I tend to be less charitable. Drug users should be treated differently than dealers, although many of them probably use, too. Unless it can be demonstrated that LeFevre was wrongly convicted, she should pay some price to society. Precisely what price is a subject of debate.

LeFevre committed other offenses during her time on the lam. She used a phony Social Security number for a number of years, which meant she had to leave jobs when employers started to ask questions. Three years ago, the state of California would not renew her driver's license because it could not confirm her Social Security number. In the post-Sept. 11 world, a number of checks were put into place that may have eventually led to the discovery of LeFevre's true identity.