MEXICO SEEKS US ANTI-DRUG CERTIFICATION

Dear Newsday:

Thanks for sharing your sensible position in regard to the certification
charade ("It's hypocrisy to certify nations as drug-warriors," 2/17/99).
However, it seems unfair that you criticize Mexico for narco-corruption
while ignoring similar forces at work here in America. A very pertinent
example: studies on drug control strategies consistently show that
interdiction and supply-side tactics offer the least "bang for the buck"
in terms of minimizing drug abuse.

So why do our governmental leaders incessantly over-emphasize these
same strategies? Because of the political clout of anti-drug
bureaucracies and government agencies which have become dependent on
these failed policies for their livelihood. This is narco-corruption
"American style."

Sincerely, Craig Schroer