CASH TO COLOMBIA NOT THE ANSWER TO CRISIS

The Senate just last week passed the federal emergency assistance package
for Colombia. As a recent Times editorial pointed out, a real emergency
exists in Colombia, necessitating Senate passage of the assistance measure
("Washington's war on Colombia," June 17). I agree. However, the editorial
missed an important point: American financial assistance — alone —will not
solve the crisis in Colombia. Helping Colombia regain stability means that
we first must regain balance in our own national drug policy. After all,
America's drug habit is largely to blame for Colombia's woes.

The fact is that over the past decade, because our anti-drug strategy
increasingly has directed resources away from important and necessary
international drug interdiction and eradication efforts, drugs coming into
the United States from places such as Colombia have been cheap and
plentiful. For our anti-drug efforts to be effective, we must balance the
allocation of resources toward efforts that stop those who produce drugs,
those who transport illegal drugs into this country and those who deal drugs
on our streets and in our schools.

Fortunately, Congress has prioritized the need to restore balance to our
anti-drug strategy. In 1998, Congress passed the Western Hemisphere Drug
Elimination Act, a three-year initiative to restore international drug
eradication and interdiction capability, which included the first
substantial investment in Colombia for counternarcotics activities. Sen.
Paul Coverdell and I were the first to propose a detailed plan to assist
Colombia, three months before the Clinton administration unveiled its
proposal.

The bottom line is this: Unless our own national anti-drug policy is
balanced and effective, improvements in Colombia from the aid will be
short-lived.

MIKE DEWINE, U.S. Senate, Washington