END THE MADNESS

Kudos to Annalee Newitz for an excellent column on the downside of zero
tolerance [Techsploitation, 5/14/03]. If harsh penalties served to deter
illicit drug 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 policy should focus not on incarcerating users of
politically incorrect drugs, but rather on reducing the death, disease,
crime, and suffering associated with both drug abuse and prohibition.

Drug prohibition fuels organized crime and violence, which is then used to
justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness. At
present illicit drug users are reluctant to seek medical attention in the
event of an overdose. Attempting to save the life of a friend could result
in a murder charge. Eliminating the stigma and penalties associated with
illicit drug use would facilitate rehabilitation and save lives. I think
it's safe to say that turnout at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings would be
rather low if alcoholism were a crime pursued with zero-tolerance zeal.

Robert Sharpe, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.