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DRUGS KEEP COMING

Despite a $20billion interdiction effort over a decade, supplies
of cocaine and heroin continue to flood in at a level more than
adequate to meet the demand of American drug users. That is the
dismal judgment of the General Accounting Office in a recently
released report. The GAO, a research agency for Congress, blames the
nation's lagging effort to control the flow of drugs on a lack of long
term strategic planning. The Clinton administration's latest budget
request makes a start on addressing these shortcomings. Congress
should follow and even enhance the new effort.

The GAO report notes that in 1995 only about 230 of the
780 metric tons of cocaine produced around the world were seized in
America or abroad. That left more than enough to satisfy America's
annual demand for about 300 metric tons. Only about 32 of some
300 metric tons of heroin produced in the same year were seized
worldwide, again leaving much more than enough to satisfy America's
annual demand for between 10 and 15 metric tons. Thus it is no
surprise that, despite the seizures the price and purity of cocaine and
heroin available in America have remained fairly constant since 1990.

U.S. antidrug efforts rely heavily on foreign governments to reduce
the amount of drugs by eradication and crop substitution and
prosecuting major traffickers. Unfortunately, the antidrug programs of
foreign governments are often corrupted by bribes made possible by
enormous profits. The GAO report criticizes the United States for
lacking a multiyear plan, for failing to coordinate antidrug activities of
several agencies and for failing to provide sustained and adequate
financing.

The Clinton administration has announced plans to seek $16
billion for antidrug efforts in 1998, an increase of $818 million, or
5.4 percent, over 1997. More than threequarters of the new money
will be directed at reducing demand, an issue not dealt with in the
GAO report. The administration proposes to spend an additional $313
million on drug education aimed at young people, $244 million more
on drug treatment, and $64 million more for safe and drugfree
schools.

While the Clinton administration also prowses to put more
money into interdiction at the border and eradication in source
countries, reducing domestic demand is the best strategy for breaking
the pattern of past failures in the antidrug campaign.

THE NEW YORK TIMES.