MEXICO'S ILLEGAL DRUG PROBLEMS AND OUR OWN ARE TIED TOGETHER

Regarding Mary Anastasia O'Grady's remarkably balanced column "Mexico
Under Siege" (Americas, Feb. 25): If an increase in street prices is
the definition of drug war success, perhaps we should strive for failure.

The supply-side drug war provides artificial price supports for
organized crime. For addictive drugs like methamphetamine, a spike in
street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity
to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

There is a middle ground between prohibition and legalization.
Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce
disease, death and crime among chronic users. Heroin maintenance
pilot projects are underway in Canada, Germany, Spain and the
Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would
deprive organized crime of a core client base. This would render
illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and spare future generations
addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets
is critical. As long as marijuana distribution is controlled by
organized crime, consumers will come into contact with sellers of
hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. This "gateway" is the direct
result of a U.S. drug policy based on cultural norms rather than
health outcomes.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington