THE FAILED DRUG WAR

Efforts in Nashua to end rave dance parties will not protect children from
drugs.

Ecstasy is the latest illegal drug to be making headlines, but it won't be
the last until politicians acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure.
Drug policies modeled after America's disastrous experiment with alcohol
prohibition have given rise to a youth- oriented black market. Illegal drug
dealers do not ID for age, but they do push trendy, profitable "club drugs"
like ecstasy, regardless of the dangers posed.

In Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by
replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation. Dutch rates of drug use
are significantly lower than U.S. rates in every category. Separating the
hard and soft drug markets and establishing enforceable age controls for
marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance.

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 legal 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 drugs like cocaine. Taxing and
regulating marijuana is a cost-effective alternative to the failed drug war.

Robert Sharpe, M.P.A.

Program Officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation

Washington, D.C.