RESULTS IGNORED IN 'DRUG WAR'

Regarding Gary Wolfam's thoughtful column, "Drug prohibition has
failed too," (June 10), it's important to remember that even with
attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs, demand remains
constant and only increases the profitability of drug trafficking.
For addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads
desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate
habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

When alcohol prohibition was repealed, liquor bootleggers stopped
gunning each other down in drive-by shootings, and consumers no
longer go blind drinking unregulated bathtub gin. While U.S.
politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent, European
countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health alternative
based on the principle that both drug abuse and prohibition have the
potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop
the spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard
and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require
incarceration as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, fear of appearing
"soft on crime" compels many U.S. politicians to support a failed
drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington, D.C.