THE WAR ON DRUGS

In his Sept. 5 op-ed titled "A War Worth Fighting," former drug czar
William Bennett argues that the drug war was a success from 1979 to 1992.
Never mind the notorious crack-cocaine epidemic that occurred during the
'80s. Mr. Bennett goes on to advocate coerced treatment for illegal drug
users. Why the double standard? Alcohol and tobacco are by far the two
deadliest recreational drugs, yet I don't hear Mr. Bennett claiming that
the threat of a prison stay and criminal record would somehow benefit
drinkers and smokers.

Mr. Bennett's selective interpretation of statistics is a thinly veiled
criticism of the Clinton administration. His assertion that America stopped
waging the drug war in 1992 is false. More Americans went to prison or jail
during the Clinton administration than during any past administration.
Nearly 60 percent of those sentenced to federal prison under President
Clinton are there for drug offenses.

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington

Thank you so much for the editorial "Misplaced Priorities" [Aug. 24]. It
should be obvious by now that drug prohibition is increasing supply and
demand. If prohibition were the answer, then the question is why do we now
have more than 6.5 million people tied up in our judicial system? Studies
show that very few former drug users list fear of incarceration as a reason
for quitting. Studies also show that 75 percent of incarcerated users
return to drug use almost immediately after release.

We should be discussing true solutions rather than patting ourselves on the
back for being the nation with the most incarcerated. Our laws are in the
way of searching for real solutions. Demand is here to stay. The time has
come to try something other than fear.

DEBRA COCHRAIN

Fritch, Tex.

Thanks to The Post for its recent editorial on the failures of the drug war
on the federal level. As The Post points out, the federal statutes have
failed to do what they intended to do: arrest, prosecute and incarcerate
major drug dealers. Instead, they have netted the low-level dealers,
prosecuted and jailed them, and then fed the public the lie that we are
winning the war on drugs.

Federal officials, such as John Ashcroft, need to realize that the public
is way ahead of them on this issue. The word is spreading, and most people
who take a serious look at this issue realize that we are not winning the
war on drugs. Just like alcohol prohibition, drug prohibition will not
work. We can't arrest and incarcerate our way out of this problem, because
even the federal government of the most powerful nation in the world can't
get to the major drug traffickers.

Many other countries are looking at other models: The Netherlands, Portugal
and Canada, which just passed a medical marijuana law. It's time for the
United States to reevaluate its drug laws.

DEBRA S. WRIGHT

Ann Arbor, Mich.