DRUG WARS

Stephen S. Rosenfeld's commentary "It's Not Enough to Cut Off Drugs"
[op-ed, Aug. 28] raises the question of what is a balanced equation
for dealing with the drug problem. No one argues that the drug
situation requires both a demand and supply strategy, and I agree that
the ratio of demand-side efforts needs to be better balanced in terms
of the supply-side initiatives. But Mr. Rosenfeld has not recognized
how that imbalance may have come about.

Mr. Rosenfeld discussed the Nixon administration's efforts to squelch
the flow of "French Connection" heroin and noted that it resulted in
what Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, one of the architects of the
initiative, now terms "at most a brief success." The nature and extent
of that success should not be minimized.

Opium and heroin production did not stop elsewhere, but the initiative
curtailed opium cultivation in Turkey, while at the same time
promoting coordinated law enforcement against those manufacturing,
distributing and trafficking in French Connection heroin. The French
Connection has never reemerged in any manner remotely resembling its
former strength. The fundamental nature of the illicit drug trade has
not changed since that time, and what worked then can work again if a
similar model is designed and implemented.

In dealing with the demand side of the equation during that time, the
methadone treatment programs were somewhat effective as the heroin
supplies from Europe slowed, but methadone brought its own demons. The
surge of higher-purity, cheaper heroin from Southeast Asia during the
mid-'70s made the work of the treatment and demand-reduction programs
more difficult and resource-competitive.

Thirty years ago the number of players engaged in the supply-side
effort was limited to three or four federal agencies. For Mr. Nixon,
even that limited number of agencies was too many and in 1973 he moved
to consolidate the U.S. drug law enforcement program by creating the
Drug Enforcement Administration.

Since that time, however, the number and type of agencies that have
become part of the counter-drug strategy have increased substantially.
The roles and missions of many of those now on the supply side should
be analyzed to see if there is a case for "right sizing" this area.
This may free resources for the demand-side initiatives, which are an
essential part of the drug-fighting equation.

MATTHEW J. MAHER
Springfield
(The writer is a retired DEA agent)