SHOULD U.S. END WAR ON DRUGS?

Re: "It's time to rethink and reform drug laws," Sept. 5 editorial.

Your editorial on the need for long-overdue alternatives to the drug
war was right on target. If harsh penalties served to deter 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, Washington, D.C.

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug
Policy.