To the Editor:

In "Draining the Drug War" (column, April 8), A. M.
Rosenthal says that we know the drug war is not lost, and he
hopes the White House might work up the courage to attack
those who differ with him on this matter.

What are the criteria to determine if a war is being won?

Longevity? The drug war has been going on for more than 80
years.

Effectiveness? How much of our money has flowed to drug
dealers since the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914?

Quality of life? The war has brought automatic weapons to
our streets. It has filled our jails to overflowing. It has
brought corruption to our local and Federal officials. It
has brought money and influence to the worst elements of
society.

The White House should press for a thorough airing of the
pros and cons of continuing the drug war. That will not be
politically popular and will require real courage.

DAVID FISHER
New City, N.Y., April 9, 1997

Chasing the Dragon

To the Editor:

A. M. Rosenthal's analysis that we are winning the drug war
(column, April 8) ignores a few points.

One is the Clinton Administration's drug war budget of $16
billion. Mr. Rosenthal points out that in the early 1980's,
many more people used drugs than do now. Yet in 1980 the
drug budget was only $1 billion.

Why does it cost so much more to deal with fewer users?

Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, the White House drug czar, is the
Administration's point man in justifying this precipitous
rise in expenditures. His is a tough task. After all, what
else does the Federal Government spend 15 times as much on
today as a decade and a half ago?

Mr. McCaffrey explains that we have as many intensive drug
users today as in 1980. In other words, we managed to get
casual drug users to stop but made no impact on heavy users.

Smoking heroin is called "chasing the dragon." The United
States is chasing its national dragon by pouring more and
more money into our illusory conquest of drug abuse.

STANTON PEELE
New York, April 8, 1997
The writer is a fellow with the Lindesmith Center, a drug
policy institute.

Drugs Inc.

To the Editor:

In "Draining the Drug War" (column, April 8), A. M.
Rosenthal excoriates those who oppose treating drug abuse as
a criminal problem. He says such people drain and weaken the
fight against drugs.

It is the other way around: the only effective way to fight
the drug plague is to treat drug abuse as a social and
medical problem.

The current emphasis on criminal sanctions has decimated
prevention and rehabilitation efforts and has produced an
opportunity for profit so great that it has created a giant
international drug business.

Mr. Rosenthal says that "without the drug war we would be
drowning in more addiction and therefore more crimes and
disease." The drug war feeds crime and addiction by creating
an industry that benefits from making new addicts and
keeping old ones.

Mr. Rosenthal says we are winning the drug war. But the flow
of drugs into this country is as free as ever.

EDGAR VILLCHUR
Woodstock, N.Y., April 9, 1997

Government Protector

To the Editor:

A. M. Rosenthal advocates that drugs "must be fought by
every legal technique" (column, April 9). Of course, this is
what has been done, over and over again.

When the currently legal techniques don't work, we simply
expand what is "legal" for the government to do. Routine
body searches (drug tests) and civil forfeiture
(confiscation without due process) are just the outrage of
the day.

And we didn't even have to change the Constitution; we just
had to change our minds about what abuses we would accept.

With enough support for the drug war, there is no limit to
what the government could do to "save" us from ourselves.

LYNN CAROL
San Diego, April 9, 1997

Children's Easy Access

To the Editor:

Re A. M. Rosenthal's "Draining the Drug War" (column, April
8):

Prohibition is the reason that children have easy access to
drugs. The war in support of prohibition doesn't decrease
the availability of prohibited drugs to children.

It is time to end this 20thcentury folly.

ARTHUR LIVERMORE
Arch Cape, Ore., April 9, 1997

peace,
fire