PANEL OF SCHOLARS DEBATES CURRENT US POLICY ON DRUGS

Three prominent scholars agreed that current U.S. drug policy is flawed and
should be reformed at a panel discussion titled "Collateral Damage: The
Hidden Costs of the War on Drugs" given last night at Annenberg Auditorium.

The panelists emphasized the financial, human and social costs incurred by
the war on drugs. Their comments aimed both to back their recommendations
for reform and to promote awareness and create discussion about the drug
problem.

"What we're trying to do can't be done. The police are faced with a war that
they didn't declare and can't win," said Joseph McNamara, a Hoover Fellow
and former San Jose Police Chief, addressing problems of drug law
enforcement.

McNamara characterized the war on drugs within the United States as an
expensive but futile task that has caused considerable damage to police
credibility and ruined the lives of drug offenders. According to McNamara,
the current budget for fighting the drug war is $17.8 billion.

"What do we get for our money?" asked McNamara. "Great human costs: 400,000
people in prison for drug offenses with longer sentences than predatory
criminals."

McNamara added that the war on drugs has also created gangster cops who get
involved with the trade under the umbrella of a drug war. When they get
caught, it destroys the credibility of good police officers."

Panelist Marsha Rosenbaum, an author and researcher at the Lindesmith
Foundation, questioned the effectiveness of drug education in America's
schools. According to Rosenbaum, the United States has spent $2 billion in
prevention efforts, which include drug education.

"The result is the most extensive drug education program in the world," said
Rosenbaum. "Over 50 percent of high schoolers have tried pot, the use of
ecstasy is up and increasing and the use of heroin, although a small
proportion of drug use, is increasing. The messages don't prevent drug use."

Rosenbaum criticized the simplistic approach of drug education programs like
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, saying that they failed to provide young
people with information that would allow them to make better judgments about
drug use.

In addition to an analysis of the domestic drug problem, the discussion
included a presentation on the effects of the drug war in Colombia by author
and peace activist John Lindsay-Polland. Lindsay-Polland criticized the
proposed $218 billion aid package to the Colombian government to fight drug
lords there, many of whom are affiliated with anti-government guerrilla
groups.

Military action would not decrease demand on the streets of America,
according to Lindsay-Polland, but would undermine peace negotiations between
the government and rebel groups. He believes the fighting would also result
in the displacement of many Colombians from their homeland.

"I have to wonder why are sending guns to that area," Lindsay-Polland said.
"People in Congress believe you have to go to the source to eliminate the
drug problem. Even if you believe this strategy is effective, which is
doubtful, it's disturbing because it suggests that our victims are more
important than the victims in Colombia."

As policy alternatives, McNamara and Rosenbaum advocate decriminalizing
marijuana and regulating it like alcohol. All panelists favor a
redistribution of the current budget into efforts aimed at prevention and
rehabilitation.

There was consensus among the panelists that public awareness of the drug
war's costs is key in reforming policy.

"The drug war is un-American, but there's a lot of room for a reform
movement," said McNamara. "What's needed most is discussion and debate about
this issue."