MUCH TO BE BLAMED ON DRUG WAR

I agreed with the Chronicle's Dec. 24 editorial, "Merchants of
corruption," that corruption is a cancer that can "undermine whole
societies, including our own." I also agreed that the obscene profits
generated by trafficking in illegal drugs and which fund much of the
corruption is our own problem. But it is not "fed by American vices."
On the contrary.

This problem is a direct result of the U.S. policy of drug prohibition.

Many experts assert that 95 percent of U.S. drug-related problems are
caused by the war against drugs. Most people would probably be at a
loss to define the objective of the war on drugs. And as to its
success? According to government reports, illegal drugs are now
cheaper, more readily available and purer than ever. According to a
20-year survey of 12- to 18-year-olds conducted by the University of
Michigan, it is easier to obtain marijuana than beer.

Then consider the fact that marijuana is prohibited -- and beer is regulated.

The United States imprisons nearly 500,000 of our citizens on
drug-related charges. This is 100,000 more than the total prison
population of the European Union -- and the population of the EU is
100 million greater than that of the United States.

And 60 percent of this U.S. population is incarcerated for possession
of small amounts of marijuana.

Does any of this make sense to the average American?

The war against drugs is strictly a political exercise. And nothing
is going to change until we, the people, give politicians the
backbone to say, "This isn't working."

We should each let our state representatives know that we support
"getting smarter" about the U.S. drug policies.

Ken Salzman

Houston