U.S., LATIN LEADERS CALL THE WAR ON DRUGS A FAILURE

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-led war on drugs is a failure and should be revised
to fight the demand for drugs and drug money, a group of prominent
Americans and Latin Americans said Wednesday.

"The escalation of a militarized drug war in Colombia and elsewhere in the
Americas threatens regional stability, undermines efforts towards
demilitarization and democracy and has put U.S. arms and money into the
hands of corrupt officials and military ... units involved in human rights
abuses," the group said in a letter to delegates to this week's drug
strategy conference.

The 13 signers of the letter included jurists, doctors, artists, religious
leaders and three former Latin presidents - Belisario Betancur of Colombia,
Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Oscar Arias of
Costa Rica.

"As you meet to develop hemispheric drug strategy, it is time to admit that
after two decades, the U.S. war on drugs - both in Latin America and in the
United States - is a failure," the letter said.

Despite spending tens of billions of dollars for raids on drug labs, crop
eradication and arrests and imprisonment at home, "today in the U.S.,
illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent and more easily available than two
decades ago," it said.

The signers urged officials attending Thursday and Friday's drug conference
to consider policies that will focus more on reducing consumption,
expanding drug treatment programs, and promoting economic development to
decrease the reliance on drug income among people who produce it.

The letter was released at a press conference organized by the
Washington-based Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, which pushes for
reform on crime issues.

Officials said it was unclear whether delegates to the closed-door meetings
would speak against the U.S. anti-drug approach because they rely not only
on military aid that comes with it, but fear jeopardizing trade and other
relationships with the United States.

"Can there be an earthquake in drug policy ... in one year, five years ...
this is the challenge," said Eric E. Sterling, president of the foundation.

"But it's unrealistic to expect a country to thumb its nose at the U.S. on
such a high-profile issue."

The White House office for drug policy said it was unaware of the letter to
delegates and had no immediate comment.

Barry McCaffrey, who heads the office, has said illegal drug use is
dropping in the United States, prompting traffickers to look for new
markets in Europe.

"This conference provides an opportunity to share our ideas and strategies
for stopping the flow of illegal drugs," said a statement from McCaffrey's
office.