TREAT DRUG USE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM

Randall G. Shelden's Dec. 30 op-ed was right on target. If harsh
penalties served to deter illegal drug use, the elusive 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 cost-effective drug treatment. 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. It's worth noting that tobacco use
has declined considerably in recent years. Public education efforts
are paying off. 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.

Robert Sharpe, MPA,

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy,

Washington, D.C.