DRUGS CAUSE CORRUPTION

The case of the Durham Sheriff's deputy charged with cocaine
trafficking is not an isolated incident.

The institutional corruption engendered by the drug war stretches
from coast to coast and reaches the highest levels.

The high-profile Los Angeles Police Department Rampart scandal
involved anti-drug officers selling drugs and framing gang members.

A former commander of U.S. anti-drug operations in Colombia was found
guilty of laundering the profits of his wife's heroin smuggling operation.

Entire countries have been destabilized by the corrupting influence
of the illegal drug trade.

Like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, the drug war is causing
tremendous societal harm, while failing miserably at preventing use.
While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent,
European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health
alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and
prohibition have the potential to cause harm. Examples of harm
reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the spread of HIV,
marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft drug
markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration
as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, fear of appearing "soft on crime"
compels many U.S. politicians to support a failed drug war that
ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington, Va.