START WITH THE WAR ON DRUGS

Kudos to Kenneth Brooks for highlighting America's shameful addiction
to punishing and incarcerating record numbers of its own citizens
("How America can change its prison rate," March 10). Unfortunately,
Mr. Brooks neglected to emphasize that the primary culprit
responsible for the United State's startling prison population growth
is the so-called 'war' on drugs.

For nearly 100 years, starting with the passage of America's first
federal anti-drug law in 1914, lawmakers have relied on the mantra
"Do drugs, do time." Today, America spends nearly $50 billion per
year targeting, prosecuting, and incarcerating illicit-drug users. As
a result, the population of illicit-drug offenders now behind bars is
greater than the entire U.S. prison population in 1980. Since the
mid-1990s, drug offenders have accounted for nearly 50 percent of the
total federal prison population growth and some 40 percent of all
state prison population growth.

Nevertheless, despite these unprecedented punitive efforts, illicit
drugs remain cheaper and more plentiful than ever. (Who ever heard of
crack, ice, Ecstasy or GHB 30 years ago?) Among children, the
percentage using illicit drugs is little different than it was in
1975, when the government first began monitoring teen drug use.
Illicit-drug use among adults has also remained virtually unchanged;
however, far more users are overdosing and dying from substance abuse
than ever.

Americans are also dying in greater numbers as a result of drug-war
enforcement. For example, members of Georgia's narcotics task force
shot and killed 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston in November 2006, during
a no-knock drug raid of her home. Two officers in the raid eventually
pled guilty to man-slaughter and admitted that they planted drugs in
Ms. Johnston's house as a cover story for their actions. A similar
fate befell 44-year-old housewife Cheryl Noel of Baltimore, who was
shot and killed by police in 2005 during a 5 a.m. "flash-bang" raid
of her home. Noel's husband and 19-year-old son were later charged
with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Despite the drug war's growing expense and civilian casualties,
lawmakers continue to offer few, if any, strategies. In contrast to
the growing calls for a review of the U.S. military's Middle East
policies, few lawmakers are demanding a timetable to bring about a
cease-fire to the war on drugs. If American lawmakers want to take a
serious look at the U.S.' war strategies, let them begin by
reassessing and ending their failed war here at home.

Paul Armentano, Vallejo