COPS GIVEN IMPOSSIBLE TASK

Re: "Losing the war on drugs," Sept. 3 letter:

Letter writer Robert Sharpe aptly notes what the police and judges of LEAP
learned long ago: Another drug bust, regardless of size, means nothing in
terms of controlling illegal drug flow.

Police with any significant time on the job and integrity will all
acknowledge that no matter how many Americans they arrest on drug charges
(currently almost 4,000 per day nationwide) and how many illegal drugs they
seize (by the ton these days), no one in Arizona or anywhere else has much
trouble scoring the drugs they want.

We now have 35 years of an ever-escalating drug war and ever-increasing
numbers of task forces and multi-agency efforts. And today, illegal drugs
are cheaper to buy, available in larger quantities and more accessible to
minors than at any time in our country's history.

Cops deserve a break from critics, however. Their assignment - to control
illegal drug flow - is an impossible task given that virtually all drug
trafficking takes place behind closed doors by mysterious players.

Contrast that with the dealers of legal drugs. They make their presence
known to police and regulators. They do not knowingly sell to or recruit
minors to sell their products. They do not resolve disputes with violence
in our neighborhoods. Therefore, we need to change police job descriptions
immediately and take them off the "drug control" beat.

We did not legalize the distribution of alcohol in 1934 because anyone was
confused about the very real risks of using alcohol. We did it to move
sales off the streets and into a licensed, regulated setting.

It's time for an equally sensible change in the 21st century. It's time to
legalize drugs.

- - STEPHEN HEATH

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Clearwater, Fla