"DRUG WAR IS AN ABYSMAL FAILURE"

Dear Editor: The Tuscaloosa City Council on Thursday approved a $377,605
grant for the Tuscaloosa Metro Drug Enforcement Task Force.

What exactly are the operating expenses? Aren't these officers paid by
their parent agency? Using drug confiscation money awarded by the courts,
the task force will provide 25 percent matching funds totaling $125,868.

Tuscaloosa Police Department Capt. David Hartin said that 2002 was the most
successful year for the drug enforcement unit. Is drug use down and do they
have less work because of their successful efforts? Or does it mean that
their efforts have failed and that drug use is on the rise? Catching more
people simply reflects inflation and does not mean that the task force with
all this money stolen from the citizens and money handed out by ADECA is
having a diminishing effect on drug use. Isn't the drug war supposed to be
reducing drug use as opposed to just imprisoning non-violent offenders?

"Indications are that 2003 will be an even more successful year," he said.
What does that mean? That they will imprison more non-violent citizens or
seize more of the people's money and property?

Drug warriors consistently cite their own failure as justification for an
increase in their money and power. We hold other government agencies
accountable for producing positive results. Why are drug warriors exempt?

How about we use this grant money to focus on education, prevention and
treatment instead of incarceration? The drug war is an abysmal failure.
Let's try something different.