PAULSON'S COLUMN STRUCK ANTI-ECSTASY LAW EFFORT ON HEAD

Ken Paulson's Aug. 4 column on the hypocrisy of aging Grateful Dead fans in
the Senate seeking to criminalize America's latest youth subculture trend
was right on target. While European nations have largely abandoned the drug
war in favor of harm-reduction alternatives, our so-called leaders in
Congress are seemingly intent on maximizing the harm associated with
illicit drug use. The RAVE Act targets dance clubs that provide life-saving
harm-reduction education, water and "chill rooms" designed to prevent
ecstasy-related heatstroke, a potentially life-threatening concern.
Sacrificing more children at the altar of the failed drug war in order to
"send a message" is not in America's best interest. In addition to pushing
legislation that will inevitably lead to preventable deaths, our government
is spending millions on an advertising campaign designed to drum up
political support for the war on (some) drugs. The Partnership for a
Drug-Free America's sensationalist anti-ecstasy ads show apparent
indifference among ecstasy users when fellow ravers fall unconscious. These
ads have zero credibility. Teenagers know ecstasy produces strong feelings
of empathy. The ads targeted at parents show a grieving father whose
daughter died of an alleged overdose. Parents will no doubt relate to this
one. The likely result of the government's politically motivated
anti-ecstasy campaign is teenagers continuing to use ecstasy and parents
continuing to support zero-tolerance drug laws. Apparently, keeping the $50
billion drug war gravy train chugging along is more important than
protecting children from drugs.

Robert Sharpe

Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.