WE'RE NOT GETTING JOB DONE ON DRUGS

I support the elimination of the War on Drugs and changing it from a law
enforcement to a medical problem ["The unwinnable war," Opinion, July 8].
When a public policy clearly does not work,as this has not, it is important
to be able to admit it and try something else. Considering the billions of
dollars that have been spent without stemming the flow of illegal drugs,
let's try another approach to observe the results. If, after five or ten
years, there is no improvement then change and try something else.Let us
not lose sight of the debacle that Prohibition was.

One major hurdle to overcome is the untold numbers of law enforcement jobs
that have been created that are directly and indirectly related to the
"war" at federal, state and local levels in enforcement and correctional
jobs, as well as in the legal areas of government.

There is also the problem of asset seizure, which results in untold
benefits to only law enforcement agencies. No wonder law enforcement groups
everywhere are against any change in the law; a lot of expensive equipment,
as well as jobs, are dependent on these funds.

Rex Reynolds-Huntington Beach

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski