DRUG WAR/DRUG ABUSE

Re "Justice dungeon: 2.3 million behind bars in the 'land of the
free,' " editorial, March 3:

Mandatory minimum prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses 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.

As a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy, I believe the
drug war cure 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 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, Arlington, Va.