THE DRUG WAR

To the editor:

In his Jan. 20 column, John Smith compares Mexican drug cartels to
terrorists and claims that their "corruptive influence endangers
America's national security." The real threat to security is the drug
war. The crime, corruption, and overdose deaths attributed to drugs
are all direct results of drug prohibition.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer
terrorize cities with deadly turf battles, nor do consumers go blind
drinking unregulated bathtub gin. Drug policies modeled after alcohol
prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market. Illegal
drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors who are
immune to adult sentences. So much for protecting the children.

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 enforceable age controls. Right now kids have an easier
time buying pot than beer.

More disturbing is the manner in which marijuana's black market
status exposes users to sellers of hard drugs. 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
addictive drugs such as cocaine.

ROBERT SHARPE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The writer is program officer for The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy
Foundation (www.drugpolicy.org).