THE WRONG DRUG FRONT

Every few days, we hear how the IDF and police successfully intercepted a
drug shipment at the Lebanese or Egyptian borders. These successes should
be applauded, even though security officials admit that they catch less
than 10 percent of the drugs smuggled into the country.

At the same time, along the Hatzbani River and the coast of the Sea of
Galilee, and at Israeli colleges and universities, hundreds of law- abiding
citizens are apprehended each year because of fondness for the cannabis
plant (marijuana and hashish). Most of these citizens, who come from all
segments of Israeli society, are left with a criminal record that makes
them ineligible for employment in the civil service. In the eyes of the
state, they have become criminals.

The attitude toward cannabis in the world, especially in Europe, is rapidly
changing. This is not only true of lenient countries like Holland. The list
of countries that have revised their policy toward cannabis includes
Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, and the latest entry - England.

The aspiration for legalization of cannabis should not only be the concern
of smokers. In the aforementioned countries, legalization has led to a
reduction in crime and enabled resources to be channeled to far more
pressing social problems. It has eased the burden on police and helped to
focus on the struggle against hard drugs.

Legalization in Israel would enable local production of cannabis, thus
eliminating a source of income for major drug dealers (and perhaps hurting
the financial status of organizations hostile to Israel.)

Legalization would also correct a grave medical injustice - patients
suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and other
illnesses would be able to use one of the oldest and most effective treatments.

In addition, an enlightened approach to cannabis would actually reduce its
use because it would no longer hold an attraction as a forbidden substance.

The War on Drugs Authority insists for some curious and irresponsible
reason on investing great resources on cannabis. One of its expensive
campaigns concentrates solely on marijuana and hashish, completely ignoring
other illicit drugs that pose a danger to many more users - ecstasy, for
example. The Authority demonstrates a lack of credibility and engages in
demagoguery and fear mongering when it declares, "There are no soft drugs -
only heavy damage to society."

There is a difference between soft and hard drugs. In the entire history of
the war on drugs, there is no evidence of even one death resulting from the
use of cannabis. Researchers and experts, including Judge Francis Young of
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have noted countless times
that cannabis is hundreds of times less dangerous than other substances
available for purchase at any pharmacy without a doctor's prescription -
aspirin, for example.

The Authority, and its director-general Haim Messing, is also wrong in its
approach to ecstasy, which too many young people are taking. The Authority
insists that whoever takes ecstasy is endangering his or her life; Messing
refuses to provide reliable information about this drug. This information,
which the Authority has at its disposal, could significantly reduce the
dangers in using this drug.

Those who claim that providing such information is tantamount to
legitimizing drug usage are mistaken. Anyone who has taken ecstasy
frequently knows that it causes serious bodily and emotional damage.
Several years ago, notices were posted at the entrances to nightclubs in
England explaining the positive and negative affects of the pill. This
approach succeeded in substantially reducing the number of fatalities from
ecstasy use.

In a society in which the public good and public health are supposed to be
considered when making decisions, policy makers would do well to rethink
their attitudes on the problem of drugs. They should push aside the web
that has been spun over the years and recognize that it is a social and
health problem rather than a criminal one.

We should learn from the experience of other countries and bring in
non-establishment groups to help formulate messages in this area. And we
should stop unnecessary, costly and failed war being waged by the War on
Drugs Authority and the Prime Minister's Office.