DRUG WAR ONLY FUELS CRIME

Regarding Carol Haley's Jan. 11 column, Alberta's hazardous
methamphetamine labs are reminiscent of the deadly exploding liquor
stills that sprung up throughout the nation during alcohol prohibition.

Drug policies modeled after prohibition have given rise to a
youth-oriented black market. Drug dealers don't ID for age, but they
do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting
the children.

Throwing money at the problem is no solution. Attempts to limit the
supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant increase the
profitability of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like meth, a
spike in street prices leads to desperate addicts to increase
criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't
fight crime, it fuels crime.

There are cost-effective alternatives to a never-ending war. In
Europe, the Netherlands has reduced overall drug use by replacing
marijuana prohibition with regulation. Dutch rates of drug use are
significantly lower than the U.S. rates in every category. Separating
the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for
marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance.

- -- Robert Sharpe is a policy analyst in Washington, D.C.