WE CAN REDUCE THE HARM CAUSED BY NOW-ILLEGAL DRUGS

Sir, Thanks for publishing Willem Buiter's outstanding commentary
"For the sake of liberty and security: legalise all drugs" (August 8).

The so-called war on drugs was lost before it began. No matter how
much money we throw down the drug war rat hole, we will never be able
to nullify the immutable law of supply and demand. As long as people
want recreational drugs and they are willing to pay a substantial
price for the drugs, somebody will produce them and somebody else
will get the drugs to the willing buyers. This much we can guarantee.

Almost 100 per cent of our so-called "drug-related crime" is caused
by our drug prohibition policies - not the drugs themselves. We have
almost no "tobacco-related crime", even though tobacco is a highly
addictive mind-altering drug. If we were to re-legalise all our now
illegal drugs would this eliminate our drug problems? No. However, it
would dramatically reduce our crime rate and dramatically increase
public safety.

Will we ever be able to eliminate our drug problems? No. However, we
can substantially reduce the harm caused by our now-illegal drugs.
Regulated and controlled drugs would be of known purity, known
potency and known quality - just the opposite of our bootleg, black
market drugs of today.

What message would we send to children if we re-legalised all now
illegal drugs so they can be sold in licensed, regulated and taxed
business establishments? The same message we send to children when we
allow for other "unapproved" products such as alcohol and tobacco
products to be sold in licensed, regulated and taxed business establishments.

A free country's government cannot protect its adult citizens from
themselves. A free country's government has no right attempting to do so.

Kirk Muse,

Mesa, AZ