LOSS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES

The steady rise in drug-sniffing dogs in schools, warrantless police
searches, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil
liberties in America while failing miserably to prevent drug use.

Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health
interventions and ineffective as deterrents, a majority of European
Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana
prohibition, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the United States
than any European country.

The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the
concept of limited government. It's not possible to wage a moralistic
war against consensual vices unless privacy is eliminated, along with
the U.S. Constitution. America can either be a free country or a
"drug-free" country, but not both.

Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Arlington, Va.