THE WAR ON DRUGS IS OVERLY ZEALOUS, HARMFUL TO YOUTH

Regarding your excellent Feb. 20 editorial, "Zero judgment":

These days zero tolerance poses a greater threat to students than does
drugs. According to the Monitoring the Future survey, more than half
of all high school seniors have tried an illicit drug.

Denying a majority of the nation's youth an education and the chance
to grow up to become productive members of society is not in America's
best interest.

Most students outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving drugs. An
arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering.
After admitting to smoking pot (but not inhaling), former President
Bill Clinton opened himself up to "soft-on-drugs" criticism. And
thousands of Americans have paid the price in the form of shattered
lives. More Americans went to prison or jail during the Clinton
administration than during any past administration.

As an admitted former drinker and alleged illicit drug user, President
Bush is also politically vulnerable when it comes to drugs.

While youthful indiscretions didn't stop Clinton or Bush from assuming
leadership positions, an arrest surely would have.

The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential
compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. Drug abuse is
bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe,

Arlington

Robert Sharpe is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy in
Washington.