BAD STRATEGY IN THE WARS ON AIDS AND DRUGS

Morton Abramowitz brings needed attention to Thailand's campaign of mass
killing in the name of a "war on drugs" ["Time to Lean on Thailand," op-ed,
June 9], which has dire implications for the rule of law.

Serious health consequences also will result: HIV/AIDS, which causes 50,000
deaths per year in Thailand, affects nearly 50 percent of Thai drug injectors.

Experience has shown that repressive drug policies only make such problems
worse, as drug users are driven underground and away from HIV prevention,
health care and drug treatment services.

Thailand's policy is especially egregious in light of that country's
selection as the host of the 2004 International AIDS Conference, an event
dedicated to addressing HIV/AIDS with compassion and respect for dignity --
virtues sorely lacking in Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's drug war.

MATTHEW CURTIS

New York

The writer works on AIDS and drug abuse prevention internationally.