END DRUG WAR

In order to wage an effective war against terrorism, the United States must
re-examine its priorities and stop wasting valuable resources on failed
policies. The war on drugs comes to mind.

Instead of going after madmen who do real damage, the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration spends roughly half of its $20 billion annual budget to hunt
down and arrest pot smokers. In normal times, this is lunacy; today, it is
unforgivable.

The thousands of highly trained DEA agents assigned to keep America safe
from marijuana should be redeployed. In this time of crisis, they would
serve their country and its citizens more appropriately as sky marshals,
border agents and security guards.

Jeff Meyers,
Oak View, Calif.