RESTRICTING THE SUPPLY OF DRUGS ENCOURAGES CRIME

Sir, I commend your editorial "The unwinnable war on dangerous drugs"
(January 15). While the war on illicit drugs garners most of the
publicity the costs of adverse effects from licit drugs may be greater.

The overall cost of illicit drug abuse in the US in 1995 was Dollars
126.5bn ("The Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in the United States", 2001).

But according to the US Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER), one estimate of the cost of prescription drug-related
morbidity and mortality is Dollars 136bn annually (1995 US data).

Tom Shillock, President, M2 Consulting, Portland, OR 97221, US