DRUG POLICY PARTLY TO BLAME FOR HARM

The Clarion-Ledger's article ("Lead us not into temptation: Cops, ethics
and the law," Feb. 10) on the Jackson Police Department's ethics training
was a refreshingly honest look at a problem that plagues police departments
throughout the country.

Jackson police officers are by no means the only ones tempted by drug
money. This form of corruption stretches from coast to coast and reaches
the highest levels.

In 1999, the Los Angeles Police Department Rampart scandal involved
anti-drug officers selling drugs and framing gang members.

Last year, the former commander of U.S. anti-drug operations in Colombia
was found guilty of laundering the profits of his wife's heroin smuggling
operation.

Entire countries have been destabilized due to the corrupting influence of
organized crime groups that profit from the illegal drug trade.

Like alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, the drug war is causing tremendous
societal harm, while failing miserably at preventing use.

European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health
alternative based on the principle that both drug use and prohibition have
the potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the
spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard and soft
drug markets, and drug treatment alternatives that do not require
incarceration.

Ironically, fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels U.S. politicians to
support a failed drug war that ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

Program Officer

Drug Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C.