'DRUG WAR' TO BLAME FOR FUELING DRUG CRISIS

Regarding the recent meeting in the Lemon Springs community, fighting drugs
is easier said than done. Attempts to limit the supply of drugs while demand
remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

In terms of addictive drugs like meth, a spike in street prices leads
desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits.
The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each
other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind drinking
unregulated bathtub gin. While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's
historical precedent, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a
public health alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and
prohibition have the potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the
spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft
drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration.
Unfortunately, fear of appearing soft on crime compels U.S. politicians to
support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

ROBERT SHARPE

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.