WAR ON DRUGS

Although I normally disagree with Salim Muwakkil's viewpoints, I do agree
with this one.

His column ("Drug warriors: U.S's internal Taliban," Commentary, Jan. 28)
was very thoughtful, accurate and brave. It is a shame that he chose to
politicize the whole issue by calling it "The Bush administration's war on
drugs."

This country's "jihad-like" war on drugs had been going on long before Bush
became president. I agree that the war on drugs is counterproductive and
ruins the lives of many good people, but let's not just pin this on the
Republicans. Both parties have people who are up to date on the research,
but neither side is brave enough to fix it. They are too afraid of being
called soft on crime.

Keith Wilson, Highland Park