JUST SAY NO TO DRUG WARS

In response to the May 23 article, "Escalating drug war grips
Mexico": Just as alcohol prohibition gave rise to criminals such as
Al Capone, drug prohibition has spawned the violent drug cartels
behind the wave of killings that are plaguing Mexico.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun
one another down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind
from unregulated bathtub gin.

It's worth noting that Mexico's recent upsurge in violence began
after an antidrug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon is benefiting politically from the
violence. The drug war is perpetuated by the mainstream media's
complicity in refusing to put so-called drug-related crime in context.

US politicians have proven particularly adept at confusing the drug
war's collateral damage with drugs themselves. Drug prohibition
finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then
used to justify increased drug-war spending. It's time to end this madness.

Robert Sharpe

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington