DRUG WAR DOES NOT PROMOTE FAMILY VALUES

Mike Coleman's Aug. 4 op-ed piece was on target. The drug war is not the
promoter of family values that some would have us believe. Children of
inmates are at risk of educational failure, joblessness, addiction and
delinquency. Not only do the children lose out, but society, too.
Incarcerating nonviolent drug offenders alongside hardened criminals is the
equivalent of providing them with a taxpayer-funded education in anti-social
behavior.

Turning recreational drug users into unemployable ex-cons is a senseless
waste of tax dollars. It's time to declare peace in the failed drug war and
begin treating all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health
problem it is.

Destroying the futures and families of citizens who make unhealthy choices
doesn't benefit anyone.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A., Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.