A MIDDLE GROUND ON DRUG POLICY

Kevin A. Sabet's prescription for a "third way" on drug laws [op-ed,
Dec. 4] sounds a lot like the status quo. Reducing the gap between
penalties for crack cocaine and powder cocaine possession while still
leaving the arbitrary disparity intact is not the answer.

There is a viable middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket
legalization.

Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce drug
use, disease, death and crime rates among chronic users. Providing
addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting eliminates many
of the problems associated with heroin use.

Pilot programs for heroin maintenance are underway in Canada, Britain,
Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. If expanded, prescription heroin
maintenance would deprive organized crime of a core client base. This
could render illegal heroin trafficking unprofitable and prevent
future addiction. As an added national security bonus, heroin
maintenance would also significantly undermine Taliban funding in
Afghanistan.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington