SOLUTION WORSE THAN PROBLEM IN DRUG WAR

Dear Editor: Regarding Dave Zweifel's thoughtful Jan. 19 column,
mandatory minimum prison sentences have done little other than turn
the alleged land of the free into the world's biggest jailer. If
harsh penalties deterred illegal drug use, the goal of a "drug-free"
America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to
what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we
should be funding drug treatment.

The drug war is a cure that is worse than the disease. Drug
prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad,
which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time
to end this madness and instead treat all substance abuse, legal or
otherwise, as the public health problem it is.

Thanks to public education efforts, tobacco use has declined
considerably in recent years. Apparently mandatory minimum sentences,
civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are
not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging
unhealthy choices. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.