DRUG TRAFFIC

Antonio Maria Costa makes the common mistake of assuming that punitive
drug laws actually reduce drug use.

Consider the experience of the former land of the free. Here in the
United States, police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs
in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil
liberties, while failing miserably at preventing drug use.

The drug war is in large part a war on marijuana. Despite clear
evidence that draconian laws fail to deter use, the U.S. government
uses its superpower status to export a dangerous moral crusade around
the globe.

The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential
compared to the long-term effects of criminal records. The European
Union should Just Say No to the American Inquisition.

Robert Sharpe, Arlington, Virginia