DELAWAREANS SHOULDN'T FEAR FRANK, OPEN TALK ON DRUG WAR'S SUCCESS

The key phrase in Peter Letang's essay about drug laws on the
previous page is: "I do not regard a recommendation for dialogue on
this subject to be blasphemy."

Neither do we, but it is apparent that many people do. Mr. Letang is
to be commended for bringing this important topic out in the open.

His credentials are impeccable. He spent years prosecuting all manner
of criminals. He helped put a lot of them behind bars. So it is
imperative that Delaware listens to him when he says the war against
illicit drug use is not working.

You don't have to be pro-drug, pro-criminal, or pro-anything, to
recognize that we have a problem.

Americans have been officially fighting the war on drugs since
President Nixon declared it in 1972. Since then federal, state and
local governments have spent billions of dollars and locked up
millions of Americans.

But the problem still has not gone away. It could be argued that the
problem is worse than ever, that drug wars in our cities make streets
unsafe and that thousands will die in gang-related violence.

What should be done?

Some people point out that our society could use those billions more
productively elsewhere. Others say that many of those in jail would
be better off on the outside, working at jobs and receiving counseling.

Those who oppose changing the focus of the battle say that drug
pushers are evil, that addictive drugs ruin bodies and destroy souls.
And they are right.

To this side, any talk of changing strategies or laws is wrong. As
one proponent of continuing the war put it, "An incomplete success is
better than a surrender."

But Mr. Letang notes that many on the front line of this battle have
their own doubts about its effectiveness. Mr. Letang is calling for a
dialogue on the subject. Yet many of those with the best knowledge
are reluctant to say out loud what they are thinking.

It is the fear of a blasphemy charge that Mr. Letang mentions.

That fear has hampered us too long. Delaware should have the dialogue
Mr. Letang calls for. It is time for the state's leaders -- and its
citizens -- to sort this out, to get away from the old bromides, and
to face the harsh facts.

Is decriminalization an answer? Those who favor that view should
marshal their arguments.

Should we shift resources from prevention to counseling? The backers
of that view should get their facts ready.

Or, should we stick to the war? If so, then what new strategies
should be employed and how can we measure success?

These are important questions. They should be framed properly and
discussed openly.

We shouldn't be afraid to talk. Lives depend on it.