DRUG WAR ISN'T WORKING, SAYS DECRIMINALIZATION ADVOCATE

Dear Editor: The work of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics is no doubt
well-intended but ultimately counterproductive ("Area police departments
coordinate war on drugs," Wednesday, Feb. 20). Attempts to limit the supply
of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increases the
profitability of drug trafficking. In terms of addictive drugs like heroin,
a rise in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal
activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime; it
fuels crime. The drug war's burden on taxpayers gets higher every year as
ever more drug users and dealers are imprisoned for consensual vices. Drug
use continues unabated as new dealers immediately step in to reap inflated
illicit market profits. And let's not kid ourselves about protecting
children. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors
immune to adult sentences. Taxing and regulating marijuana, the most
popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to the $50 billion
drug war. There is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and
protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social
reality of marijuana use and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering
criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age
controls. Right now kids have an easier time buying pot than beer.
Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. Marijuana may be
relatively harmless compared to alcohol - the plant has never been shown to
cause an overdose death - but marijuana prohibition is deadly. As long as
marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers
will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like cocaine.

Robert Sharpe, Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, DC 20008-2328