DRUG LAWS NOT WORKING

The "mule" described in Jay Gallagher's June 23 column is a prime example
of the type of low-level drug offender sentenced to lengthy prison terms
under Rockefeller drug laws. The burden imposed on New York taxpayers by
those laws grows each year. Rockefeller defenders claim they are fighting
crime. If only that were true. So-called drug-related crime is in reality
prohibition-related. With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers
no longer gun each other down, 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 based on the principle that both drug use and drug prohibition
have the potential to cause harm. Examples 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 U.S. politicians to support a failed drug war that
ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

ROBERT SHARPE,

PROGRAM OFFICER DRUG POLICY ALLIANCE

WASHINGTON, D.C.