A LOSING BATTLE

If we can agree that keeping drugs away from kids should be a first
priority, we can also agree that past strategies have failed.

The drug czar's final report shows that just as many children use
illegal drugs now as when he assumed the office in 1996. The number of
deaths by overdose has increased dramatically. And this outcome only
cost us billions of dollars and a few irreplaceable liberties. What a
deal.

The only significant decline was in tobacco consumption, and somehow
we managed to accomplish this without putting one tobacco user in jail.

Hmmm.

Dan Reynolds, Boston