TIME TO REPEAL OUR PROHIBITIONIST DRUG POLICIES

Poor Rebecca. She wrote to Mayor Jennings about the violence in her
West Hill neighborhood, hoping for a reply indicating that she will
"be able to play outside again soon'' (Times Union, June 27). No such
response was forthcoming. Despite doing everything in their power,
including creating anti-gang task forces, conducting large drug sweeps
targeting gang members, and tripling the size of the narcotics squad,
the mayor and the police cannot promise Rebecca safety from the
violence associated with the drug trade.

The reason for this is simple.

Criminal sanctions are completely ineffective regulatory policy
instruments given the enormous profit made possible by our
prohibitionist drug policies.

Prohibition creates black markets with huge profit margins that are
controlled by criminals whose primary tool for capturing market share
is violence.

When local economies are dominated by these black markets rather than
legally regulated markets, a culture of violence emerges that affects
everyone in the community.

It even affects those not directly involved in the drug trade like
Karim Maye, who was recently shot in the face in front of a group of
playing children on an otherwise beautiful Saturday afternoon.

The mayor and police clearly understand the relationship between the
drug trade and violence.

This is why the mayor responded to the rash of homicides in our city
by increasing the size of the narcotics squad.

What is missing from all analyses and proposed solutions to the
problem of drug-trade-related violence is an acknowledgment of the
fact that the violence is a logical consequence of our prohibitionist
policies.

The homicide rate in the United States plummeted following the repeal
of alcohol prohibition in 1933, and there is every reason to believe
that repeal of drug prohibition would have a similar effect.

We need to accept the fact that some people will take drugs (and even
destroy their lives) and focus on protecting innocent people from
violence. Criminalizing drug use does not protect children like
Rebecca from the dangers of drugs, which are readily available in her
neighborhood. Criminalizing drug use does, however, substantially
increase the likelihood that Rebecca will be a victim of gang-related
violence.

For the sake of innocent children and the welfare of our communities,
it's time to repeal our prohibitionist drug policies and put the gangs
out of business.

MICHAEL ROONA Albany Chapter
RECONSIDER
Albany