IT'S TIME TO END DRUG-WAR MADNESS

To the Editor:

Veteran police officer Jack Cole is to be commended for raising awareness
of drug prohibition's collateral damage ("Drug War's Strategy Fatally
Flawed, Ex-Cop Says," Nov. 22).

Like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, the drug war fuels organized crime
and violence, which is then used to justify increased drug-war spending.
It's time to end this madness, and instead treat all substance abuse, legal
or otherwise, as the public health problem it is.

Drug policy should focus not on reducing the total number of people who use
drugs, but rather on reducing the death, disease, crime and suffering
associated with both drug use and drug enforcement. At present, drug users
are reluctant to seek medical attention in the event of an overdose.
Attempting to save the life of a friend could result in a murder charge.
The zero-tolerance drug war results in easily preventable deaths.

Eliminating the stigma and penalties associated with drug use would
facilitate rehabilitation and save lives. The tough-on-some-drugs approach
compels problem drug users to suffer in silence.

I think it's safe to say that turnout at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
would be rather low if alcoholism were a crime pursued with zero-tolerance
zeal. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe, program officer

Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, DC