RELAXING LIMITS ON WIRETAPS IS FOOLHARDY

Regarding your Jan. 11th editorial: The American Civil Liberties Union of
Hawaii has good reason to be concerned over a law-enforcement coalition's
push to ease restrictions on wiretaps, the vast majority of which are used
to fight the war on drugs. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing
dogs in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil
liberties in America, while failing miserably to prevent drug use.

The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of
limited government. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in
the world, in large part due to the war on some drugs.

It's not possible to wage a moralistic war against consensual vices unless
privacy is completely eliminated, along with the Constitution. America can
be a free country or a "drug-free" country, but not both.

Robert Sharpe, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.