END THE UNWINNABLE WAR ON DRUGS

On Feb. 27, the Daily Press displayed the photographs of some 53
Newport News fugitives from the law. Of the total shown, nearly half,
and almost all the women, are wanted for drug-related offenses.

Whoever said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and
expecting different results" must have said this after watching the
federal and state governments in their war on drugs.

I'm not sure our collective agencies actually expect different
results. It may be a way to justify their existence. One of the very
useful things that the war on drugs provides is a dragon for
politicians to slay. But they never slay it.

How long have we been fighting this war? And with what results?

Why not use the major force that rules the drug user's life -- his
need to obtain drugs? This would allow the registration of users and
an organized way to provide counseling and treatment. It would
eliminate the user's need to obtain huge amounts of money to satisfy
his habit and reduce drug-related crime. Ancillary crime, muggings
and burglaries would be diminished.

Ray Crist

Williamsburg