GAY CLUB DRUG BUSTS WON'T SOLVE ANYTHING

To the Editor:

A recent letter to the editor praised the D.C. Police Department's drug bust
in a gay club as the first step in the drug fight ("Arrests are only the
first step in drug fight," letters, May 10), but I believe it is another
step in the wrong direction.

For well over 30 years, our country has been fighting a losing war against
its own citizens, a war on drugs that overwhelmingly targets minorities and
the poor. It's time we wake up and realize the war is over. The government
lost. And good riddance.

Instead of busting these 20-something gay men who are selling drugs and
sending them off to jails where they will face more homophobia, violence,
and drug use than they would ever face on the streets of D.C., we should
follow the example of much of the European Union by utilizing drug treatment
and rehabilitation options.

If anyone believes that arresting these three young gay men and throwing
them in jail will even eliminate the usage and sale of drugs in our
community by 5 percent, they have to be crazy. I'm sure by now someone has
already stepped up to fill their shoes.

What we need more than ever is harm reduction education and treatment
options for those seeking assistance. We must continue to support groups
like Whitman-Walker, DanceSafe, and the Responsible Party Movement to do the
important work of informing gays about responsible drug use and treatment
options for those who need assistance.

I do have praise for the officers of the DC Gay & Lesbian Police Liaison
Unit for the way they handled this difficult situation. Unfortunately, I
fear these young men have been introduced into a broken and a corrupt
criminal justice system, where they will probably not receive the adequate
treatment they need.

JEREMY BISHOP

Arlington, Va.