Get Active Subscribe Support Us

DRUG WAR HAS FAILED; TRY SOMETHING ELSE

To the editor:

The efforts of the Jackson County Drug Enforcement Task are no doubt well intended, but ultimately counterproductive.  Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.  In terms of addictive drugs like meth, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits.  Make no mistake: The drug war doesn't fight crime.

It fuels crime.

Rather that waste resources attempting to overcome immutable laws of supply and demand, policy makers should look to the lessons learned from America's disastrous experiment with alcohol prohibition.  The thriving black market has no age controls that work to keep drugs out of the hands of children, making it easier for kids to buy pot than beer.  There are pragmatic alternatives.  The Netherlands has 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 age controls for marijuana have proven more effective than zero tolerance.

Although marijuana is relatively harmless compared with alcohol, marijuana prohibition is deadly.

As the most popular illicit drug, marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce youth to addictive drugs like meth.  Taxing and regulating marijuana is a cost-effective alternative.  Politicians need to stop worrying about the message that the drug policy reform sends to children and start thinking about the children themselves.