OUR DRUG POLICIES DON'T WORK: THE DUTCH DRUG POLICIES DO

the Editor of The Paw Paw Courier Leader: I'm writing about the outstanding
story about Howard Wooldridge and Greg Fransico: "Ex-Cop Riding Across
Nation To Stamp Out Drug Laws" (8-15-05). I'd like to add that if
tough-on-drugs policies worked, the quixotic goal of a drug free America
would have been reached a long time ago. And if tolerant drug policies
created more drug use, the Netherlands would have much higher drug usage
rates than the United States. They do not.

In fact, the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at much lower
rates than Americans do. See the web site: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/
thenethe.htm.

And if tolerant drug policies caused more overall crime, especially violent
crime, the Dutch would have much higher crime rates than the U. S.

They do not. The Dutch murder rate is less than one-third the U. S. per
capita murder rate and their rate of incarceration is about one-seventh the
U. S. incarceration rate.

In the Netherlands, marijuana is sold to adults without criminal sanctions
in coffee shops.

In the United States, marijuana is sold by criminals who often sell other,
much more dangerous drugs, and who often offer free samples of the more
dangerous drugs to their marijuana customers-thus the gateway effect.

Legalize, regulate and control the sale of marijuana and we close the
gateway. Legalize all types of recreational drugs and sell them in licensed
business establishments, and we will make the term "drug-related crime"
obsolete.

Best regards,

Kirk Muse

Mesa, AZ