DRUG WAR FUELS CRIME

Dear Editor,

Retired police detective Mike Hendricks is to be commended for
speaking out against the war on drugs. Attempts to limit the supply of
illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the
profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like methamphetamine, a spike in street prices
leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed
desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun
each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind
drinking unregulated bathtub gin.

While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent,
European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health
alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and
prohibition have the potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop
the spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard
and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require
incarceration as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, fear of appearing
"soft on crime" compels many U.S. politicians to support a failed drug
war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Please feel free to edit and publish. Thank you for your
consideration.

Sincerely,

ROBERT SHARPE, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense

for Drug Policy