INCARCERATING DRUG OFFENDERS

Robert Scheer's "Incarceration Won't Solve Drug Problem" (Commentary,
March 2) misses the main point. According to a U.N. study, illicit
drugs account for more than 10% of all world trade; this makes the
drug business bigger than that of either automobiles or textiles. Many
powerful organizations and individuals on either side of the law
profit hugely, both directly and indirectly, and studies also warn
that the banking industry would falter should drugs be decriminalized.
As long as the U.S. is the chief architect of international policy,
the status quo will be maintained. The "war on drugs" is more a
war for drugs. It's all about business, and anyone bleating about
saving the lives of our young is either deliberately misleading the
public or living in cloudcuckooland.

NIK GREEN,
Isla Vista