Why is the United States again preparing to spill blood and waste
another $1.3 billion in the name of our war on drugs?

When Operation Colombia begins in January, Colombian women and
children will die in vain. He cites American "vital interests" as an
excuse for the futile exercise. These interests can only be keeping
cocaine off American streets. For 20 years we have fought cocaine
cartels with everything we've got, yet the drug remains more readily
available and cheaper to the American consumer than ever. Hasn't two
decades of ineffective interdiction taught us anything?

American-financed machine-gun fights in Colombia and neighboring
countries barely scratch the surface of what is wrong with our drug
policy.

The war on drugs has spilled over into a war on the civil liberties
and human rights of millions of Americans and people around the world.

We have a four-star general employed to solve a health and social
problem, not a military one. The fighting - and cocaine production -
will admittedly spill over into Peru, Brazil and other countries.

Our policy only adds fuel to the fire.

When McCaffrey steps down in January, it will be time for the new
administration to pause and rethink our drug prevention policies.

I'm sure we can find better uses for more than $20 billion
annually.

JASON PALMER,
Grafton