RETHINK THE FAILING DRUG WAR

Editor,

Regarding your thoughtful July 20 editorial on raves ("Raves: Harmless fun
or drug parties?"), ecstasy is the latest illegal drug to be making
headlines, but it won't be the last until politicians acknowledge the drug
war's inherent failure. Drug policies modeled after our disastrous
experiment with alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented
black market. Illegal drug dealers do not ID for age, but they do push
trendy, profitable "club drugs," regardless of the dangers posed.

There are cost-effective alternatives. 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.

Although pot is arguably safer than legal alcohol - the plant has never
been shown to cause an overdose death - marijuana prohibition is deadly.
Illegal marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce users
to harder drugs like heroin. This "gateway" is the direct result of a
fundamentally flawed policy.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to
think the children are more important than the message. Opportunistic
"tough on drugs" politicians would no doubt disagree.

Robert Sharpe

The Lindesmith Center

Drug Policy Foundation

Washington, D.C.