FAILED WAR ON DRUGS

Sir: Organised crime is no doubt very pleased with Tony Blair's staunch
opposition to drug policy reform ("Blair signals his opposition to
softer line on drugs during Jamaican visit", 30 July). Tough drug laws
give rise to a lucrative black market, effectively subsidising organised
crime.

The parallels between America's disastrous experiment with alcohol
prohibition in the early 1900s and the failed drug war are glaring.
American liquor producers no longer gun each other down, nor do
consumers go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin.

While politicians in Britain and America use the drug war's collateral
damage to justify its intensification, pragmatic European countries are
embracing harm reduction. Harm reduction is based on the principle that
both drugs and drug laws have the potential to cause harm. Ironically,
fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels many politicians to support a
policy that ultimately fuels organised crime and violence.

Robert Sharpe, Programme Officer

Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation, Washington, DC