DRUG PROHIBITION FUELS CRIME, VIOLENCE

The fact that a Lumberton investigator had to resort to making a false
statement in order to obtain a search warrant is not surprising ("Drug-deal
charges dropped" on Oct. 3). Because illicit drug transactions are
consensual, buyers and sellers go to great lengths to keep their
transactions secret. It's not possible to wage a moralistic war against
consensual vices unless privacy is completely eliminated, along with the
Constitution.

The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of
limited government. The blind pursuit of a "drug-free" America has led to a
steady rise in police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in
schools, and random drug testing. The land of the free now has the highest
incarceration rate in the world, in large part due to the war on some drugs.

Drug policy should focus not on reducing the number of people who use
drugs, but rather on reducing the death, disease, crime and suffering
associated with both drug use and drug prohibition. The tough-on-drugs
approach does more harm than good.

Eliminating the stigma and penalties associated with illicit drug abuse
would encourage the type of honest discussion necessary to facilitate
rehabilitation and save lives.

Robert Sharpe, Program officer

Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.