MANY THINK DRUG WAR IS LOST CAUSE, SURVEY

WASHINGTON -- The American public is increasingly convinced there is
little the nation can do to combat the problem of illegal drugs, says
a poll that shows three-fourths of Americans think the demand for
drugs is so high it will be impossible to stop their use.

Just as many believe the government is losing the drug war.

But they still believe in a tough policy with the emphasis on
arresting drug dealers and stopping the importation of drugs,
according to the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the
Press.

"This suggests the public is frustrated with the war on drugs and
doesn't think it's succeeding," Pew pollster Andrew Kohut said. "But
it is still sticking with the tactics of the drug war, giving the
highest priorities to interdiction and incarceration."

Two-thirds in the poll say Latin American nations never will control
drug traffic.

Americans were more compassionate toward users of illegal drugs, with
half believing drug use should be treated as a disease, compared with
a third who think it should be considered a crime.

Drug war strategies have received renewed focus in recent months,
reflected in the attention of news coverage and the Oscar-nominated
film "Traffic," which examines the inefficiency of long-standing
policies toward the drug trade.

In Congress, some lawmakers have been debating the balance between
punishment and treatment of the nation's drug users, and even cite
the movie's influence on the debate.

In New Mexico, Republican Gov. Gary Johnson, a former drug user, has
become one of the nation's leading proponents of the legalization of
such drugs as marijuana, cocaine and heroin.