DRUG LAWS HELPED CREATE TRAGEDY

Editor,

I hope this letter does not come across as disrespectful. For what it's
worth I fully agree with your editorial's contention that Crosslin and Rohm
are not martyrs ("Prosecutor's report clears police of any wrongdoing," Jan
10).

Conspicuously absent from the editorial on the Rainbow Farm shooting deaths
was the fact that Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm were angry with government
attempts to seize Crosslin's property. Clearly the armed standoff that led
to their deaths was an inappropriate response, but it is worth pointing out
that the financial incentives created by civil asset forfeiture laws
creates a very dangerous precedent. When protectors of the peace become
predators society is put at risk.

The Rainbow Farm deaths are particularly suspect in that marijuana offenses
allegedly justified the land grab. The hypocrisy of the drug war is glaring.

Alcohol poisoning kills thousands annually. Tobacco is one of the most
addictive substances available. Marijuana, on the other hand, is not
physically addictive and has never been shown to cause an overdose death.

The drug war in America is in large part a war against marijuana, by far
the most popular illicit drug. In 2000 there were 734,497 arrests for
marijuana in this country, 646,042 for possession alone. For a relatively
harmless drug, the allocation of resources used to enforce marijuana laws
is outrageous.

The intergenerational culture war otherwise known as 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 not possible to wage a moralistic war against
consensual vices unless privacy is completely eliminated, along with the
U.S. Constitution. America can either be a free country or a "drug-free"
country, but not both.

Robert Sharpe

Program Officer

The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation

Washington, D.C.