GIBBONS' POSITION THREATENS INTEGRITY OF COUNTRY

To the editor:

Reefer madness-crazed politicians such as Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.,
put more than states' rights at risk ("Mr. Gibbons v. the
Constitution," July 12 editorial). The Drug War threatens the
integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government.
The steady rise in warrantless police searches, drug-sniffing dogs in
schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties
in America, while failing miserably at preventing drug use.

It's not possible to wage a moralistic war against consensual vices
unless privacy is eliminated, along with the Constitution. The United
States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large
part due to the war on some drugs. America can either be a free
country or a "drug-free" country, but not both.

Robert Sharpe

Washington, D.C.

The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy
(www.csdp.org).