END THE MADNESS OF 'DRUG WAR'

Underlining some of the points in Al Emond's March 25 guest column,
drugs did not spawn Mexico's organized crime networks. Just like
alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone, drug prohibition created
the violent drug-trafficking organizations blamed for all the killings
in Mexico. With alcohol prohibition repealed in the U.S., liquor
bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. It's
worth noting that Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an
anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels.
From a political perspective, Mexican President Felipe Calderon stands
to benefit from the violence.

The drug war is perpetuated by the mainstream media's complicity in
refusing to put so-called "drug-related" crime in context. U.S.
politicians have proven particularly adept at confusing the drug war's
collateral damage with drugs themselves.

Drug prohibition funds organized crime at home and terrorism abroad,
which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time
to end this madness. Whether we like it or not, drugs are here to
stay. Changing human nature is not an option. We've been trying that
for decades. Reforming harmful drug laws, however, is an option, one
that Congress should pursue.

Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C.

THIS WRITER is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy.