THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE

WASHINGTON -- Those of us who live and work in major cities are all too
aware of the problems of drug addiction. We don't need the Office of
National Drug Control Policy to say that 19.5 million of us are junkies or,
to be politically correct, "illicit drug users." The number of Americans
poisoning themselves never seems to drop.

Based on official statistics, 10 percent of our population buy, sell and
use illicit drugs. Where does this cornucopia of dope originate?

Mind-altering drugs are almost all imports. They flow from Colombia,
Ecuador, Bolivia and Mexico; from Thailand and Vietnam; from Afghanistan,
Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. We have all seen stories of drugs seized at our
borders. They range from a few packages to shiploads -- enough to meet the
needs of millions of regular clients.

Now, let us ask the "what if?" question. Is anthrax or a "dirty" nuclear
bomb or an aerosolized virus being smuggled in with a heroin shipment?

Just how omnipotent is our homeland security? And, even more important, who
is campaigning for a rollback in the drug laws?

Once again the name of George Soros surfaces. He wanted the president to be
defeated in the 2004 election and called for "a regime change in the United
States." The billionaire currency trader accused the Bush administration of
exploiting the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, returning time and again to
his mantra that "America under Bush is a danger to the world."

However, if policies advocated by Soros in the drug decriminalization field
come to pass, we would indeed live in a truly dangerous world.

That's what Soros wants and what he has funded since 1994 through his Open
Society Institute (OSI). And he is not alone in supporting new and liberal
drug policies.

There are a number of facts that Soros appears unaware of in the sordid
world of drug dealing. First, drugs cost money. A heroin user may spend
$100 a day to support his habit. Cocaine costs more and enough "nose candy"
for a swinging party can put the host $500 out of pocket. Marijuana is in
the $5 to $10 range. Designer drugs cost a little more. The truly dangerous
"ecstasy sells for less than a six-pack.

Then there is the paraphernalia. Syringes -- re-used, day-after-day, by
several people -- are one of the biggest causes of HIV/AIDS in our cities.
Now, the OSI is boasting of how, using political pressure, it is getting
thousands more syringes onto the streets.

We have to wonder whether Soros realizes whence the money for drugs come --
crime. How else can a social drop-out obtain $2,000 a month? And then there
is the social cost.

As 2004 ended, the New York State Assembly gave in to the Soros political
clout and voted to change their strict drug laws named after Gov. Nelson
Rockefeller. With drug use unabated, New York politicians voted to change
the law and reduce the sentences. They also want to create a new class of
criminals -- nonviolent drug offenders and nonviolent repeat offenders.

And, never fear, the Soros machine will keep up the pressure on other states.

Most of us once thought of Soros as a currency speculator who made millions
when he broke the Bank of England and destroyed the economies of many Asian
countries. Over the years, the Soros groups, under his inspiration, have
preached the rejection of the concept that drug users should be treated as
criminals. But, despite attempting to pervert American justice and
politics, Soros throws millions into drug projects. He has said, "I don't
know what the right thing to do is. I do have a very strong conviction that
what we are doing (now) is doing an awful lot of harm."

Harm is the key word in the Soros drug camp. One of his sage advisers
explains that "harm reduction" in drug use is the only way to go,
explaining, "If you are drinking, don't drive. You ride a bicycle -- use a
helmet. That's harm reduction."

And our politicians, in exchange for donations to their campaigns and
causes from a variety of Soros-maintained idiots, pretend to believe this
dangerous nonsense.

As the New Year begins, perhaps some new and good resolutions could be
made. Let's settle for just one -- apply the concept of truth in
advertising to truth in social legislation and laugh out of the public
arena those pushing for "harm reduction" from drug users.

Dateline D.C. is written by a Washington-based British journalist and
political observer.