JUST LEGALIZE DRUGS

Regarding your Sep. 28 editorial, the case of the Manatee Sheriff's
deputies allegedly protecting drug dealers 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, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.