CHEERS & JEERS -- WANTED: A SANE DRUG POLICY Cheer: Gen. Barry McCaffrey's decision to resign as the White House drug policy chief, rather than try to stay on under a new administration, is welcome. It creates an opportunity for the new president to reassess this country's failing strategy against illicit drugs, at home and abroad. McCaffrey's uncompromising approach -- particularly in pressing for $1.3 billion in aid to help Colombia fight drug-trafficking militias, may have won over Congress and President Clinton, but has won only limited support from European governments and has drawn sharp criticism from leaders in South America. Some of them accuse Washington of offering aid as a substitute for tackling its own drug problem seriously. Others stop just short of calling it a new form of U.S. imperialism, while still others fear it could lead to a Vietnam-style war against leftist guerrillas that could spill over into neighboring countries. One must hope McCaffrey's successor will bring to the job a more open mind not only about fighting the drug war abroad, but also about dealing with the problem at home not only as a criminal matter, but as the serious social crisis it is.
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