FIGHTING THE DRUG WAR

Thanks to Mr. Steigerwald for his column on the drug
war "New Prohibition."

Please know that on Oct. 4, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia held
the first-ever hearing to discuss the New Prohibition as a
policy issue. The topic was "Mass Incarceration in the
United States: At What Cost?"

Webb promised to hold more hearings and take testimony from more
experts. With the exception of Webb and Reps. Dennis Kucinich, Bobby
Scott and, of course, Ron Paul, Steigerwald is most correct: There is
a thundering silence on this issue, even as the drug war kills more in
a month than Iraq does in a year.

Howard J. Wooldridge

Washington, D.C.

The writer is a retired police detective from Fort Worth who
represents LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) on Capitol Hill.