DRUG-WAR FORUM PLANNED IN EL PASO

EL PASO -- As the vicious drug war in Mexico rages on, the American
city most affected by the violence is El Paso, say several organizers
of a conference that will look at the U.S. war on drugs.

The U.S. War on Drugs 1969-2009 conference will be Sept. 20-22 at the
University of Texas at El Paso.

The conference, which is free, will bring together community leaders,
UTEP professors and public-policy makers. They will look at whether
the United States is winning the war on drugs and to see whether the
U.S. should be doing more to help Mexico win its war against the drug
cartels.

"After 40 years of the U.S. war on drugs, I think this is a vital time
to relook at the U.S.'s drug policy," University of Texas at El Paso
political science professor Kathleen Staudt said. "We are at the front
lines; we see what is happening in Mexico as these highly profitable
cartels benefit from a large demand in the U.S."

Staudt is among the conference organizers.

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said he was working to make sure
nationwide policymakers attend the conference. He recently sent a
letter to several high-ranking officials asking them to attend.

In part, the letter states, "The conference will examine the history,
successes, and failures of our nation's drug-war policies and will
include noted scholars and experts from the public and private sectors
as panel participants.

"As you know, this forum comes at a time when we face the challenge of
increased violence among Mexican drug cartels. This unfortunate
violence underscores the need for our country to review and re-examine
our approach to curbing drug abuse and addiction."

Less than a year ago, when The El Paso City Council adopted a
resolution asking the federal government to have an open discussion on
the merits of legalizing drugs, Reyes sent a letter to the council
asking its members to reconsider.

Reyes contended the timing on the discussion was not right.

City Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who voted for the drug discussion resolution
and questioned Reyes' comments at the time, said that any national
policy changes on the war on drugs needed to start in El Paso. He,
too, is working to organize the conference.

"The war on drugs is affecting us arguably more than any other
community in the U.S., given what is happening in Juarez," he said.

Since January 2008, Juarez has been the epicenter of a brutal drug war
that is playing out throughout Mexico. In Juarez alone, more than
2,600 people have been killed since the war began.