DRUG WAR DIDN'T TURN OUT RIGHT

The United States spends billions of dollars each and every year on the war
against drugs.

And, while I am no particular fan of drugs and don't want to see people use
them, there are some very good reasons to believe that war is a failure. I
recently read Mike Gray's book, "Drug Crazy: How we got into this mess and
how we can get out."

I also recently spoke with Gray in California. Even if you've never read
anything by him, you probably already know of him. He was the writer behind
"The China Syndrome."

He said he started research for the book years ago because, "it was obvious
we were screwing things up."

Gray, 65, is an engineer who went to Hollywood in 1972 where he writes,
directs and produces feature films and series for television. Gray says
engineers solve problems by pulling them apart so that's what he decided to
do with the drug issue. He started researching by looking at the research
available on marijuana.

"I don't think you should attempt to inform people about things you don't
know about," he said. "I have tried every significant drug."

That includes cocaine, LSD and heroin (once) but not crack.

As he did his research, he said he expected to find credible arguments on
both sides. He says he did not. Marijuana is the most studied drug on the
planet. He said when it comes to debate on the drug issue, those who favor
continuing the war have "a callous disregard for anything resembling the
truth."

As an example of what he's talking about, during an interview on CNN, Gray
heard whoever was the drug czar tells people that the Dutch murder rate had
doubled since drugs were legalized there. Turns out that's completely
false, Gray said.

"They literally make this stuff up," he said.

The book looks at the history of Prohibition and the lessons we learned -
or should have - from that experience. It's a fascinating read. He shows
how prohibition created the Mafia.

He points out that during Prohibition, hard alcohol use increased. And
because it was a criminal enterprise, anyone with money could buy booze,
making it more available to children. It created criminals, swelled prison
populations and created a whole army of law enforcement.

When Prohibition ended, a good many of those problems were reduced if not
eliminated.

Then he turns his attention to drugs. Drugs are a $400 billion a year
enterprise. It's second only to the arms trade.

What's been the impact of illegal drugs? A prison population that has
swollen beyond reason, armies of law enforcement some of whom have been
corrupted by the staggering wealth available, and drugs like crack and
methamphetamine - cheap and addictive, and drug forfeiture laws that have
eroded the Fourth Amendment. And I think most kids find drugs easier to
come by than cigarettes or alcohol.

Gray doesn't think we should just legalize all these drugs and let people
buy them on every street corner. He believes they should be controlled by
doctors. Since addiction and drug use are essentially medical issues, Gray
believes doctors are the right people to handle them.

Making drugs legal would not instantly make the problem disappear. There
would still be addicts. Before 1914, when drugs such as heroin were legal
in the United States, there were addicts. But they didn't have to be
criminals in order to deal with it. They went to their doctors and obtained
maintenance doses and lived their lives. Most of them worked - just as most
of the drug users in today's society work.

There are some experiments - in Switzerland and England - where addicts
were allowed to use maintenance doses that show significant numbers of
people will spontaneously opt for abstinence and getting off the drugs.

He makes a surprising amount of sense. And I find it difficult in the face
of his logic to continue believing that the way we are conducting the drug
war is a good thing.