DRUG ABUSE IS BAD; DRUG WAR IS WORSE

James E. Gierach's Sept. 13 op-ed was right on target. 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, Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.