DRUG WAR NOT WORKING

To the Editor:

So Franklin County schools are turning to drug-sniffing dogs to prevent
students from making unhealthy choices. It will be interesting to see how
parents react when their children are introduced to America's
zero-tolerance criminal justice system.

Most teen-agers outgrow their youthful indiscretions, some even going so
far as to become president of the United States. A criminal conviction and
record, on the other hand, can be life shattering. After admitting to
smoking pot (but not inhaling), Clinton opened himself up to "soft on
drugs" criticism. And thousands of Americans have paid the price. More
Americans went to prison or jail during the Clinton administration than
during any past administration. Nearly 60 percent of those sentenced to
federal prison under Clinton are there for drug offenses.

As an admitted former problem drinker and alleged illicit drug user,
President Bush is also politically vulnerable when it comes to drugs. While
youthful indiscretions obviously did not stop Clinton or Bush from assuming
leadership positions, an arrest surely would have.

The health effects of marijuana are inconsequential compared to the
long-term effects of criminal records. The steady rise in police searches
on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools and the drug testing of
bodily fluids in America have led to a significant loss of privacy, while
failing miserably at preventing drug use. Based on findings that criminal
records do more harm than marijuana, a majority of European Union countries
have decriminalized soft drugs like pot. Despite harsh penalties and
perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is
higher in the U.S. than any European country.

The war on some drugs threatens the integrity of a country founded on the
concept of limited government. The Bill of Rights is increasingly
irrelevant, thanks to drug war exemptions. It's simply not possible to wage
a moralistic war against consensual vices unless privacy is eliminated,
along with the Constitution. America can be a free country or a "drug-free"
country, not both.

Robert Sharpe,

Drug Policy Alliance,

Washington, D.C.