EUROPE'S LIBERALIZED DRUG POLICY

The May 3 front-page story "Europe Moves Drug War From Prisons to Clinics"
failed to show the negative effect of liberalization of drug policies in
the countries cited.

For each of the past three years, Europe has imported and consumed more
than 200 tons of Colombian cocaine -- better than double the annual totals
before 1999 and the new decriminalization movement. President Bush has
stated that Europe is a major importer of heroin from Afghanistan.

As U.S. consumption of cocaine has decreased by two-thirds in the past two
decades, Europe has become the new market. The Netherlands is now the top
source of the Ecstasy reaching America's children. So we are paying a price
for Europe's "harm reduction."

Moreover, Britain is not liberalizing its policies. To the contrary, it has
reversed the laws legalizing heroin laws during the past decade because its
addiction rate quintupled in that period.

The story twice quoted the EU data coordinator as saying that drugs are
widely available in prisons. If that is true, Europe should clean up its
prisons. While it is true that the United States must expand drug treatment
in the prison population because more than 60 percent of arrestees test
positive upon entry, it is a myth that drugs are widespread in U.S. prisons
themselves. Only 2 percent to 3 percent of prisoners actually obtain
illegal drugs.

As U.S. drug use is dropping, Europe's is rising. Europe may be headed for
the drug and crime disaster we had two decades ago, from which we are
emerging as we spread the message about the dangers and enforce the law.

ROBERT S. WEINER, Accokeek

The writer was director of public affairs for the White House Office of
National Drug Policy from May 1995 until August 2001.

As a May 3 story noted, several European countries are attempting to reduce
drug problems by substituting drug treatment instead of punitive measures.

A similar rationale is in use here as the basis for student drug- testing
programs in numerous schools. The concept is that drug abuse by
schoolchildren is a health and safety problem that needs to be diagnosed
and treated rather than punished as a behavioral infraction.

The Supreme Court has approved drug testing of student athletes and is
considering a case that would allow schools to expand it to all kids in
extracurricular activities. Congress and the administration recently
enacted the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, " which includes a provision
that authorizes and provides federal funding for student drug testing.

Student drug testing has a great track record in reducing drug use. Schools
that test all students sharply reduce drug use. Surveys of non-testing
schools show about one-third of their students use drugs on a regular
basis. When finally used in schools throughout the nation, health-related
student drug testing will do for drug-related tragedies what the Salk
vaccine did for polio tragedies -- it will nearly eliminate them.

DeFOREST RATHBONE, Great Falls

The writer chairs the National Institute of Citizen Anti-Drug Policy, a
grassroots organization.