Pubdate: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 Source: Guardian Weekly, The (UK) Section: Page 13 Copyright: Guardian Publications 2001 Contact: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/GWeekly/front/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/633 Authors: Robert Sharpe & Kirk Muse AN 'UNWINNABLE' WAR ON DRUGS David Broder was right on target (A highly debatable war on drugs, August 30). A cost-benefit analysis of the United States drug war is long overdue. Instead of wasting billions of dollars incarcerating non-violent drug offenders while waging a futile supply-side war abroad, the US should be funding cost-effective treatment. A Bush proposal to expand the Clinton administration's $1.3bn Plan Colombia into a broader Andean initiative will not negate the laws of supply and demand that drive illegal drug production. Creating a global welfare state in which every developing country is paid not to grow illicit crops is an expensive proposition. The armed factions tearing Colombia apart are financially dependent on profits generated by drug prohibition. While US politicians continue to use the drug war's collateral damage to justify its intensification at home and abroad, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health alternative based on the principle that both drug use and drug enforcement can cause harm. Ironically, the fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels many politicians to support a punitive drug policy that fuels organised crime and violence, while failing miserably at preventing use. Robert Sharpe The Lindesmith Centre-Drug Policy Foundation, Washington DC, USA - ------------------------------------------------------------------- David Broder was right on the mark when he wrote that "the whole 'war on drugs' cries out for re-examination". This re-examination should not be limited to techniques or strategies on how best to fight the "war". The war is unwinnable and should not be fought. A free country's government has no business dictating to its adult citizens what substances its citizens may or may not consume. Prohibition of alcohol did not work in the US because the prohibition of any desired substance cannot work in a free society. The law of supply and demand cannot be repealed or nullified. Kirk Muse Vancouver, Washington, USA - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom