UNETHICAL REASONS FOR LEGALIZING DRUGS

Robert Barro's suggestion that we legalize drugs in order to tax them is
not surprising from a writer who also recommends that Colombia "temporarily
suspend rights and democratic practices" because the country supposedly has
"too much democracy" and needs to "reimpose law and order" ("To beat
Colombia's guerrillas, legalize drugs in the U.S.," Economic Viewpoint,
Mar. 13). Exacerbating misery to make money from it is unethical and
illogical.

As Robert L. Dupont, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown
University's School of Medicine, explains in his book, 'The Selfish Brain:
Learning From Addiction': "It does not require an economic genius to
recognize that prohibition is now working effectively to reduce the total
costs generated by such drugs as marijuana, cocaine, and
heroin. Furthermore, the human suffering reflected in the health-care
costs would rise dramatically if those drugs were legally available, as
alcohol and tobacco are now, because the number of users would increase
from the current 12 million [1997] to a number similar to the 50 million
tobacco users or even the 103 million users of alcohol."

Dr. Dupont also notes that U.S. taxes at all levels came to $13 billion for
alcohol in 1992. By comparison, that same year, alcohol abuse cost the
U.S. $148 billion, in terms of the health burden and other expenses,
according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Trading sickness and
death for government revenues is as financially spurious as it is morally
bankrupt.

On a purely economic level, tax revenues derived from drugs wouldn't offset
the increased costs generated by greater abuse. If high taxes were levied
on drugs to discourage use, the illicit drug traffic would persist in an
attempt to evade the high taxes. Alcohol and tobacco are much more widely
used than illegal drugs not because they are "superior" drugs but because
they are legal and widely available. Legalization would raise the number of
drug users and the harm caused by drugs. For this reason, the majority of
Americans support keeping dangerous drugs against the law.

Linda Bayer, Strategic Analyst White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy Washington