LIMITING ILLEGAL DRUGS INCREASES STREET CRIME

To the Editor:

Your March 2 editorial made the common mistake of confusing drug-related
crime with prohibition-related crime.

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant
only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like heroin, 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With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each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.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

'Common Sense for Drug Policy'

Washington