WAR ON SOME DRUGS

Editor:

Your article on the tragic consequences of America's zero-tolerance drug
policies ["Drug Warriors," Nov. 5] was one of the best I've read on the
subject. If Alexander Windle had never sobered up he would still be alive
today. I know many a former alcoholic who has turned his or her life around
by putting down the bottle and picking up the marijuana pipe. They may
still have a substance abuse problem, but at least now they can get up in
the morning without a hangover and lead productive lives. Nor do they run
the risk of drinking themselves to death. It is not possible to consume
enough marijuana to die from an overdose. Not even aspirin can make the
same claim. I pray that those friends of mine who prefer marijuana to
martinis are not gunned down like Mr. Windle as a result of their preference.

Unfortunately, we can only expect more of such tragedies. The War on Some
Drugs is more than an intergenerational culture war. It is a money-making
machine for both drug dealers and drug warriors. Thanks to federal
forfeiture laws, police have license to steal from illegal drug users. The
profit motive has turned what should be protectors of the peace into
predators. Law enforcement is not the only group profiting from draconian
drug policies. The for-profit prison and drug testing industry wield
considerable clout on Capitol Hill. It is time for policymakers in Congress
to ignore the special interests clamoring for zero-tolerance policies and
acknowledge the parallels between drug prohibition and America's disastrous
experiment with alcohol prohibition. The only winners in the War on Drugs
are the drug warriors and dealers who profit from prohibition. The big
losers in this battle are the American taxpayer, civil rights, and people
like Alexander Windle.
Sincerely,

Robert Sharpe