BARACK ON DRUGS

Kudos to columnist Bill Steigerwald for exposing the hypocrisy of
politicians like Sen. Barack Obama who would jail citizens for
consensual vices they themselves engaged in during their youth ("Step
up, Barack," Jan. 20 and PghTrib.com).

Barack Obama is in good company in supporting the war on drugs. After
allegedly not inhaling, Bill Clinton went out of his way to prove his
tough-on-drugs credentials.

Admitted problem drinker and alleged former drug user George W. Bush
has gone so far as to allow federal drug police to arrest cancer and
AIDS patients in states with voter-approved medical marijuana laws.
This drug war nonsense has gone on long enough.

These days zero tolerance poses a greater threat to youth than drugs.
According to the Monitoring the Future survey, 48 percent of U.S. high
school seniors have tried an illicit drug.

Most kids outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving illicit
drugs, some even going on to become president of the United States. An
arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be
life-shattering.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington, Va.

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.