U.S. NEEDS TO RETHINK NO-WIN WAR ON DRUGS

Most Americans don't think much about the U.S. war on drugs in South
America, and there's no reason they should.

The paramilitary campaign, although hugely expensive for U.S. taxpayers, is
far away and generates relatively few American casualties.

Unfortunately, the effort has accomplished little except to inconvenience
the cartels that continue to ship drugs to the USA by the ton.

The most memorable -- and horrifying -- event in the interdiction campaign
occurred April 20, 2001, when a U.S.-controlled Peruvian aircraft strafed a
small plane carrying an American missionary family.

Veronica Bowers, 35, and her seven-month-old child, Charity, were killed.

U.S. officials described the incident as a tragic case of mistaken
identity. Then they shut down the program, which had been run by the
Central Intelligence Agency.

But that was 15 months ago, and now the Bush administration is moving
toward resuming the effort under the auspices of the State Department.

It's a bad idea.

"It's very clearly a step backward," said Matthew Briggs, associate policy
director for the Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy organization in
New York City. "Like the other strategies the U.S. has employed in the
region, the program has failed. If there is money to be made, people will
find a way to transport drugs. The bottom line never changes. But (with the
current anti-drug policies), more lives get wasted, more money gets spent
and there is no result."

Although White House officials say new safeguards will be implemented to
make the interdiction program safer, things again could go very wrong over
the remote jungles of South America.

Another consideration is the use of deadly force. In the USA, police don't
start shooting unless lives are at risk. Is it ethical -- or smart -- for
U.S. officials to condone such gunplay outside of U.S. borders?

We don't think so, especially with so little being gained in return for
putting lives at risk.

In this country, from all reports, illicit drugs are as plentiful as ever.

Instead of resuming its reckless flight-interdiction program, the Bush
administration needs to rethink its entire approach to the drug war.

After nearly two decades and several billion dollars expended, it's clear
that decreasing demand -- not supply -- is the way to fight illegal drugs
effectively. That means focusing more intently on treatment and education,
and addressing the social problems that lead to drug abuse in the first place.

Such an approach is less dramatic than shooting down civilian airplanes,
but would be more productive in the long run.

To learn more

Visit the Drug Policy Alliance Web site at www.drugpolicy.org