DEFENSE OF DRUG POLICY SITS ON SHAKY GROUND

In the Jan. 14 Opinion article "Hello, My name is 'Traffic,' " Paul Reid
attacks the new Steven Soderbergh film Traffic and its critical assessment
of U.S. drug policy by saying that the film is flawed because it violates
the "rules of engagement in the commentary business." If those "rules"
include the introduction of supporting evidence, Mr. Reid's own commentary
falls short. All he can marshal in support of the drug war is the
(unsupported) assertion of one former Drug Enforcement Administration agent
(hardly an unbiased source) that "any interception" of imported drugs
qualifies as success. Could we set the bar any lower? He asserts that
"international chaos" will follow "if we let criminals and narco-terrorists
take over the governments of our Latin American neighbors." It is the war
on drugs that props up such regimes.

Criminalizing drugs and attempting to choke off supply only drives prices
up, luring more suppliers into the business. Decriminalization would allow
us to focus on a rational response, like harm reduction.

STEVE ELLMAN

West Palm Beach