WE LOST WAR ON DRUGS

Kudos to Clare Blando's letter (8/28) concerning the national travesty that
was Prohibition. These types of irresponsible bans inevitably do more harm
than good.

We've seen a lot of concerns lately over deficits and illusory budget
surpluses. Rather than squabbling over a matter of a few measly billion
dollars, it seems to me that it is time to turn our attention to one of our
nation's bigger budgetary black holes: the so-called "War on Drugs."

This war costs our taxpayers well in excess of $100 billion annually.
However, we have absolutely nothing to show for this investment. Statistics
from the National Center for Drug Control Policy indicate that nationwide
consumption of cocaine alone has risen over 500 percent since the 1972
inception of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Let's rid ourselves of this costly, ineffective campaign, as well as the
crime, gang warfare, and corruption that accompany it. The money we save
could fund several Bush tax cuts, with a surplus to spare. And that's not
even counting the additional vice tax revenues that could be generated.

David Swan
Kansas City, Kan.