DRUG WAR FUELS VIOLENCE IN MEXICO

Regarding Sanho Tree's March 28 op-ed, 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 behind all the killings in Mexico.

With alcohol prohibition repealed in the United States, liquor
bootleggers no longer gunned 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.

The drug war is perpetuated by the mainstream media's refusal to put
so-called "drug-related" crime in context. Drug prohibition funds
organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used by
shameless politicians to justify increased drug war spending.

It's time to end this madness.

Whether we like it, drugs are here to stay. Changing human nature is
not an option. Reforming harmful drug laws is an option, one that
Congress should pursue.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington, VA

Sharpe is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.