CEASE FIRE IN DRUG WAR

Re 'Measuring success in war on drugs,' editorial, May 24: There is a
middle ground between drug prohibition and blanket legalization.
Switzerland's heroin maintenance program has been shown to reduce
disease, death and crime among chronic users.

Providing addicts with standardized doses in a clinical setting
eliminates many of the problems associated with illicit heroin use.
The success of the Swiss program has inspired heroin maintenance
pilot projects in Canada, Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands.

If expanded, prescription heroin maintenance would deprive organized
crime of a core client base, rendering illegal heroin trafficking
unprofitable and sparing future generations from addiction.

Marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol, only without
the ubiquitous advertising. Separating the hard and soft drug markets
is critical. As long as organized crime controls marijuana
distribution, sellers will make available to consumers addictive
drugs like methamphetamine. Marijuana is safer than legal alcohol.

It makes no sense to waste tax dollars on marijuana prohibition. It
finances organized crime and facilitates the use of hard drugs while
failing miserably to prevent marijuana use. Drug policy reform may
send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children
are more important than the message.

Robert Sharpe

Washington, D.C.