ZERO TOLERANCE

Don Erler's April 4 column on the "one-strike-you're-out" policy of the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development failed to fully
acknowledge the law's potential collateral damage.

The zero tolerance law requires that entire families be evicted from public
housing if anyone, even a guest, uses drugs. The youthful indiscretions of
a rebellious teen-ager could result in homelessness for an entire family.
According to the Monitoring the Future Survey, more than half of all high
school seniors have tried an illegal drug at least once. Exposing 50
percent of all families living in public housing to the dangers of living
on the street is not the answer to America's drug problem.

Most teen-agers outgrow their youthful indiscretions involving drugs. An
arrest and criminal record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering.
After admitting to smoking pot (but not inhaling), Bill Clinton opened
himself up to "soft-on-drugs" criticism. And thousands of Americans have
paid the price in the form of shattered lives. More Americans went to
prison or jail during the Clinton administration than during any past
administration.

The short-term health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to
the long-term effects of criminal records. Drug abuse is bad, but the
zero-tolerance drug war is worse.

Robert Sharpe,

Drug Policy Alliance, Washington