BODILY RIGHTS

I applaud the conclusions of the Global Commission on Drug Policy --
detailed in Tony Norman's June 3 column ("Ease Up in Drug War? Smart
But Unlikely") -- that announce what has become patently obvious for
decades: The war on drugs is a misguided effort that foments violence
and abets organized crime.

However, I fear the commission's conclusions will fall on willfully
deaf ears. Until Americans embrace the idea that people have an
inalienable right to do what they wish with their bodies -- even if
their actions are harmful -- no amount of rational persuasion or
empiric evidence will succeed.

AMESH A. ADALJA, M.D.

Butler