FUTILE WAR ON DRUGS PROVES WE'VE LEARNED NOTHING FROM OUR MISTAKES

The maximum sentence handed down to a Naperville man who provided drugs
that resulted in an overdose death reaffirms an already bad precedent [news
story, Aug. 14].

Drug users are reluctant to call 911 in an emergency for fear of being
charged with a crime. As noted in the article, the defendant delayed
calling for help when the victim lost consciousness. America's infatuation
with zero tolerance results in easily avoidable deaths.

There is far more at stake than the health of drug users. The crime,
corruption and overdose deaths attributed to drugs are all direct results
of drug prohibition. With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor producers no
longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind
drinking unregulated bathtub gin. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it
fuels crime.

And let's not kid ourselves about protecting children. The black market's
lack of age controls makes it easier for kids to buy marijuana than beer.
Although marijuana is relatively harmless compared with alcohol--the plant
has never been shown to cause an overdose death--marijuana prohibition is
deadly. As the most popular illicit drug, marijuana provides the black
market contacts that introduce youth to addictive drugs like heroin.
Current drug policy is a gateway policy.

In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by
replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Dutch rates of drug use
are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every category. Separating the
hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana has
proven more effective than zero tolerance.

Robert Sharpe
Program Officer
The Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation
Washington, D.C.