DRUG BUSTS

I hope law enforcement authorities and your editorial staff enjoy gloating
over the recent drug busts in the city. I regret to inform you that
contrary to your assertion, occasional law enforcement victories floating
in a sea of defeats do not send any message to those involved in the drug
trade.

The so-called war on drugs has been a massacre, with the drugs on the
winning end. Our senseless crusade against junkies has done nothing to stem
the supply of drugs, but it has succeeded in diverting tens of billions of
dollars away from productive uses, like education, to name one. It has also
helped destroy several developing nations, imprisoned tens of thousands of
innocent addicts - on our dime - and ruined the lives of millions of Americans.

Trying to prevent the trade of drugs is like trying to catch Saturn in a
butterfly net. Illicit drugs, like toothpaste and sneakers and broccoli,
are commodities that adhere to the rock-solid laws of supply and demand. As
long as there is demand for mind-altering substances, and it has ever been
thus, someone will be there to fulfill that demand and get rich. By adding
the risk of prosecution to the drug market, law enforcement succeeds only
in driving up the price, thereby ensuring the commission of crimes
attendant to drug use.

I hope Americans come to their senses during my lifetime and make it
possible for elected officials to publicly denounce the wasteful and
catastrophic "war on drugs." Only then can we have a serious discussion
about real solutions to the scourge of drugs in America.

BARRY WALDMAN