IN 30 YEARS,THE DRUG WAR HASN'T MADE A DENT

After the discovery of crack cocaine in a shoe of Noelle Bush, her father,
Gov. Jeb Bush, reiterated his plea for privacy. If only the governor, his
father and brother would grant the rest of the U.S. citizens the same courtesy.

The fact that the governor's daughter is afflicted with this terrible
addiction lends credence to the failure of the war on drugs. After more
than 30 years, the drug war has yet to make a dent in consumption of
illegal drugs.

Yet year after year, billions of taxpayers' dollars are dumped into this
futile reincarnation of prohibition. Policies that allow bureaucrats to
snoop into our personal finances and that disregard the Fourth Amendment
have been justified in the name of the drug war.

Our civil liberties have suffered since the onset of this war, yet we are
no closer to winning today than when it began.

Another problem is selective enforcement. In the cases of politicians and
wealthy individuals, drug use is passed off as youthful indiscretion. Less
affluent individuals, or people without political clout, serve time in
prison or have their records permanently stained due to indiscretions.
Adding to this tragedy, violent offenders sometimes are released early so
that room can be made for nonviolent drug offenders.

Perhaps due to this tragedy, Noelle Bush's father, uncle and grandfather
will realize the mistakes and failures of their oppressive policies.

Emilaino Antunez, Miami