DRUG WAR BEING LOST

To the editor:

Rubbing out the drug element is easier said than done. Attempts to limit
the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the
profitability of drug trafficking.

In terms of addictive drugs like heroin, 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With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each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
as a prerequisite.

Unfortunately, fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels U.S. politicians
to support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.
Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe,

Program Officer,

Drug Policy Alliance,

Washington, D.C.