HARM REDUCTION

Re: "Crackdown on drugs requires community support" (Perspectives, Jan. 9).

Alonso Heredia's column about illegal drugs in Camden is easier said
than done. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand
remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs such as 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With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun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.

Harm reduction is a public health alternative based on the principle
that both drug abuse and prohibition have the potential to cause
harm. Examples of the idea 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 many U.S.
politicians to support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes
organized crime.

ROBERT SHARPE

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.