DRUG WAR IS WORSE

To the editor:

I don't think anyone is going to argue that Rush Limbaugh would
benefit from a lengthy mandatory minimum prison sentence for violating
federal drug laws. If drug treatment works for Rush, why not apply the
same standard to less famous Americans?

Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals
is the equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education
in antisocial behavior. Turning drug users into unemployable ex-cons
is a senseless waste of tax dollars. It's time to declare peace in the
failed drug war and begin treating all substance abuse, legal or
otherwise, as the public health problem it is. Destroying the futures
of citizens who make unhealthy choices doesn't benefit anyone. Drug
abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe,

Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.