U.S. CONTINUES TO FIGHT A FAILED WAR AGAINST DRUGS

Your Feb. 15 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 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With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each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 regulations 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.

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy.

ROBERT SHARPE

Washington, D.C.