JAIL NOT THE ANSWER

Re: Commit The Crime, Do The Time, Lorne Gunter, Jan. 9.

When it comes to drugs, mandatory minimum prison sentences are proven
failures. If harsh sentences deterred illicit drug use, Canada's
southern neighbour would be a "drug-free" America. That's not the
case. The U.S. drug war has done little other than turn the former
land of the free into the world's biggest jailer.

It's worth nothing that tobacco use has declined considerably in
recent years. Public education efforts are paying off. Apparently
mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random
drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most
cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices.

Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington