FBI SHIFT IS CORRECT

I write in response to the El Paso Times' June 3 editorial, "FBI changes
focus; vigilance against drug-smuggling must be maintained."

The FBI's shift in priorities is long overdue. Not only does international
terrorism pose a greater threat than drugs, but well- intended efforts to
stop the flow of illegal drugs effectively subsidize organized crime.
Attempts to limit supply while demand remains constant only make drug
trafficking more profitable.

Terrorists understand what Al Capone learned in the 1920s: There are
enormous profits to be made on the black market.

While the FBI tries to make amends, I believe the Drug Enforcement
Administration is seeking to cash in on America's tragedy. The latest
government anti-drug campaign seeks to link the war on drugs to the war on
terrorism. The illicit drug of choice in America is domestic marijuana, not
Afghan heroin or Colombian cocaine. Taxing and regulating marijuana would
derail the drug-war gravy train. As long as marijuana remains illegal and
distributed by organized crime, consumers will continue to come into
contact with drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Bureaucrats whose jobs depend on the never-ending drug war prefer to blame
the plant itself for the alleged "gateway" to hard drugs.

Robert Sharpe

Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.