DRUG WAR WORSE THAN DRUGS

Regarding Nate Blakeslee's Jan. 19 "The People Left Behind": When it comes
to the drug war, mandatory minimum sentences have done little other than
turn the alleged land of the free into the world's biggest jailer. If
draconian penalties deterred illegal drug use, the goal of a "drug-free"
America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to what is
already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding
drug treatment.

The drug war is a cure that is worse than the disease. Drug prohibition
finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used
to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness and
instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health
problem it is.

Apparently mandatory minimum sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug
testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective
means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug
war is worse.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC