LONG SENTENCES DON'T DETER

Re: Prison system needs overhaul, Nov. 23

If long prison sentences deterred illicit drug use, Canada's southern
neighbor would be a "drug-free" America. That's not the case. The
drug war has done little other than give the former Land of the Free
the highest incarceration rate in the world.

It's worth noting that tobacco use has declined considerably in
recent years. Public education efforts are paying off. 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

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, DC