GETTING REALISTIC ABOUT DRUGS

President Bush's new drug czar might get somewhere. He's had the courage to
point out that anti-drug advertising hasn't worked. In fact, it might have
backfired.

Nobody seems to know why. But John P. Walters, who recently took over the
U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, is taking at least one step
that makes sense. He wants to test all anti-drug ads for effectiveness.

That's routine for other kinds of advertising, but not for drug ads. Maybe
that's one reason they haven't worked.

Because they haven't, federal taxpayers have wasted close to $1 billion
that might have been spent on more effective anti-drug efforts. Treatment
comes to mind.

Mr. Walters wants to give ads one more year, and perhaps that's worth a try.

The question is whether he's ready to talk about another dangerous truth:
the similar lack of evidence supporting DARE, a program popular with
schools, parents and law-enforcement agencies.

Of course, the real question that few Americans - and fewer politicians -
want to ask is whether it is practical or wise to outlaw drugs the way we
tried to outlaw alcohol.

Might it make more sense to legalize and regulate some drugs, and offer
treatment for users and addicts, instead of fighting a losing battle? A
battle that creates huge profits for criminals, corrupt officials and
terrorists?

Maybe not. But serious people ought to think about it and brave people
ought to talk about it.

Mr. Walters?