RETHINK TACTICS OF DRUG WAR?

Target Big Cartels; Step Up Treatment

When Iowa's two U.S. senators - Republican Charles Grassley and
Democrat Tom Harkin - this spring called on President Bush to fire
his drug czar, John Walters, they spoke for many people frustrated
with the lack of success in the war on drugs. But Walters'
performance is mixed, and firing bureaucrats won't make our failed
drug policies work any better. Systematic change is needed.

Despite spending hundreds of billions of dollars and arresting
millions of Americans, illegal drugs remain cheap, potent and widely
available in every community. Meanwhile, the harms associated with
drug abuse - addiction, overdose, the spread of AIDS/HIV and
hepatitis - continue to mount. Add to this record of failure the
collateral damage of the war on drugs - broken families, racial
disparities, wasted tax dollars and the erosion of civil liberties -
and it's easy to see why so many Americans want major change.

The war on drugs has many defects, including lack of prioritization.
Federal agencies are over-extended and waste too many resources
duplicating state efforts. Policymakers need to shrink the drug war
down to something that is manageable.

- - First, reprioritize federal law-enforcement resources toward drug cartels.

Most federal drug prisoners are low-level offenders. A 2002 report to
Congress, for instance, found that only 7 percent of federal cocaine
prosecutions are against high-level traffickers. Federal drug
enforcement should focus on large cases that cross international and
state boundaries, with a priority toward violent traffickers and
major crime syndicates.

All other cases should be left to the states. Federal laws not
consistent with prioritization and federalism, such as laws targeting
possession for personal use, should be eliminated and the threshold
amount of drugs it takes to trigger federal involvement should be
increased. Congress should set clear statutory goals for the
disruption of major crime syndicates, and federal agencies should be
required to report on their progress toward these goals, including
resources wasted on low-level drug offenses.

- - Second, stop wasting resources on marijuana.

Of America's 1.7 million drug arrests every year, almost half are for
marijuana, and nearly 90 percent of those are for possession for
personal use. Resources spent arresting and prosecuting people for
marijuana possession are resources not spent dealing with drug
cartels and violent crime. Congress should reform federal law to
allow states to tax, regulate and control marijuana through a legal,
regulated market like alcohol.

That would eliminate the violence associated with underground
markets; allow law enforcement to focus more resources on violent
crime and terrorism; generate tax revenue to pay for substance-abuse
treatment and education; and allow policymakers to regulate
marijuana's potency, establish age controls and regulate marijuana's
use and availability.

- - Third, eliminate law enforcement block grants to the states and
shift the money to uniquely federal functions

States should pay their own way, and the federal government should
concentrate on things only it can do, such as border control and
homeland security. The Office of Management and Budget has found that
these grants have done nothing to reduce crime. But they have
perpetuated racial disparities, police corruption and civil-rights
abuses across the country.

- - Fourth, establish a comprehensive treatment system that ensures
that every American who needs substance-abuse treatment can get it.

Study after study has shown that increased funding for treatment is
the best way to undermine drug markets and reduce drug abuse.
Treatment should include mental-health services, as well as services
designed to prevent sexual abuse, domestic abuse and child abuse, to
deal with the underlying roots of addictive behavior.

Burdensome federal regulations that limit access to treatment, such
as restrictions that prevent doctors from prescribing methadone,
should be eliminated. Policymakers should also ensure that programs
are meeting the needs of populations that have faced unique hurdles
to accessing treatment, such as women, minorities, youth and rural populations.

A good national drug policy should reduce the negative consequences
of both drug use and drug laws. It should reduce both drug addiction
and racial disparities. Keep our streets safe and families together.
Reduce drug overdoses and wasteful government spending. Protect our
kids and the Bill of Rights.

The war on drugs has failed on all counts. The federal government
should concentrate on what only it can do - protecting our borders,
taking down major crime syndicates and providing treatment to all who
need it - and leave everything else to the states, faith-based groups
and families.