DRUG WAR FUELS ORGANIZED CRIME

Robin Nobles, in her thoughtful column on drug abuse ("Drug abuse can start
various ways," Sep. 29, 2E) notes that kids who happen to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time can have their lives destroyed by a drug
conviction. Most teen-agers outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving
drugs. An arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be
life-shattering.

Ms. Nobles recognizes something our so-called "leaders" in Congress are
reluctant to admit: Both drug abuse and drug enforcement have the potential
to cause harm.

So-called "drug-related crime" is invariably prohibition related. Attempts
to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only
increase the profitability of drug trafficking. In terms of addictive drugs
like 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With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each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 historical
precedent, European countries are embracing "harm reduction," a public
health alternative to the never-ending drug war.

Examples of harm reduction 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 politicians to support a punitive drug war that ultimately subsidizes
organized crime.

Robert Sharpe, Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.