MYRON THOMPSON BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

Dear editor,

Re: Supreme Court barking up the wrong tree, May 9

It would be a mistake to assume that the police state approach to
public health problems works. Here in the United States, drug-sniffing
dogs in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil
liberties, while failing miserably at preventing drug use. Marijuana
use is higher in the U.S. than any European country, yet America is
one of the few Western countries that punish citizens who prefer
marijuana to martinis.

Thanks to the war on some drugs, Canada's southern neighbor now has
the highest incarceration rate in the world. The drug war is a
cultural inquisition, not a public health campaign. Criminal records
are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as
deterrents. Can Canada afford to emulate the harm maximization
approach of the former land of the free and current record holder in
citizens incarcerated?

Sincerely,

Robert Sharpe,

Washington, DC