CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO FAILED WAR ON DRUGS

In response to "Chemical theft warning issued" (News article, Page A6,
April 3):

Meth is the latest dangerous drug to be making headlines across America,
but it won't be the last until policy-makers acknowledge the drug war's
inherent failure.

The theft of fertilizer by criminals is inconsequential compared to the
threat the unregulated black market poses to children. Drug policies
designed to protect children have given rise to a youth-oriented black
market. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do push addictive
drugs like meth.

There are cost-effective alternatives to the failed drug war.

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.

As the most popular illicit drug in America, marijuana provides the black
market contacts that introduce users to hard drugs. This "gateway" is the
direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes no
sense to waste tax dollars on policies that finance organized crime and
needlessly expose children to dangerous drugs. Unfortunately for Americans,
our leaders are more prone to counter-productive preaching than
cost-effective pragmatism.

A dated comparison of Dutch vs. American rates of drug use can be found at:
http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/c-drugstat.html

More recent figures can be found at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm

Robert Sharpe
Washington, D.C.

The writer is program officer, Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation,
Washington, D.C.