DRUG WAR HAS BEEN A FAILURE

In his July 8 Other Views column, The laws can't curb our appetites,
George Will talks about the unintended consequences of Prohibition in
the 1920s, including the growth of organized crime.

He likens Prohibition to our government's current initiatives to
encourage change from detrimental eating to habits that destroy the
environment. I am amazed that he failed to realize that he should
have compared it to the failed war on drugs.

This prohibition has created a multibillion-dollar industry
worldwide, contributed to the political instability of many
countries, turned the United States into a nation with one of the
highest incarceration rates and fueled illegal border crossings.

The illegal drug trade also saps funds from other aspects of society,
especially education and healthcare -- not to mention the lives and
coin spent in foreign wars as we continue the "fight between law and appetite."

Does he hope that appetite wins the war on drugs also?

LORRAINE DOWDY, Miami