ZERO TOLERANCE DANGERS

Your March 29 editorial described the Supreme Court approval of the federal
government's "one-strike, you're out" public housing policy as a slam dunk,
but wisely noted that ever-expanding big government is problematic. 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 teenager could result in homelessness for an entire family.

According to the Monitoring the Future Survey, over 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 teenagers outgrow
their youthful indiscretions involving drugs. An arrest and criminal
record, on the other hand, can be life-shattering.

Zero tolerance has done little other than create a massive
prison-industrial complex. Based on findings that criminal records do more
harm than marijuana, a majority of European Union countries have
decriminalized pot. Despite harsh penalties and perhaps because of
forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the United
States than in any European country.

The failed drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the
concept of limited government. The alleged "Land of the Free" now has the
highest incarceration rate in the world. It's simply not possible to wage a
moralistic war against consensual vices unless privacy is completely
eliminated, along with the U.S. Constitution. America can either be a free
country or a "drug-free" country, but not both.

- -- ROBERT SHARPE, program officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.