REGULATED MARKET NECESSARY TO FIGHT LATEST WAR ON DRUGS

This is in response to The Sun's story (June 21), "Police frustrated by
Ecstasy deaths."

Ecstasy is the latest illegal drug to be making headlines, but it won't be
the last until politicians acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure.

Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a
youth-oriented black market. Illegal drug dealers do not ID for age, but
they do push trendy, profitable "club drugs" like ecstasy, regardless of
the dangers posed.

The ecstasy variant known as PMA, which has been taking the lives of
Florida youth, is today's version of Prohibition's "bathtub gin."

The overdose victims thought they were buying ecstasy, but the thriving
black market has no controls. The drug war fails miserably at its primary
mandate of protecting children from drugs.

Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most popular illicit drug, is a
cost-effective alternative to never-ending drug war. There is a big
difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs.

Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and
frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's
really needed is a regulated market with age controls.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. Marijuana may be
relatively harmless compared to alcohol - pot has never been shown to cause
an overdose death - but marijuana prohibition is deadly. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers
will continue to come into contact with hard drugs.

Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to
think the children themselves are more important than the message.

Tough-on-drugs politicians who depend on drug hysteria to literally scare
up votes would no doubt disagree.

Robert Sharpe,

program officer,

Drug Policy Alliance

www.drugpolicy.org/,

Washington