Pubdate: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2003 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Roy B. Scherer DRUG WAR HAS FAILED Editor, Times-Dispatch: The headline for Joe Dombroski's Commentary column says, "Record Shows That Drug Legalization Is No Solution." He should be honest enough to admit that more than 60 years of failed experience show that drug illegalization is also no solution. Perhaps his perspective is flawed. It is his agency, after all, that recently terrorized a 14-year-old girl and shot her in the back of the head; it is his czar who went to Amsterdam and proceeded to lie about the crime and drug-use statistics of that country, forcing a retraction; and it is his agency that recently sent a letter that was full of distortions and outright lies about marijuana to all federal attorneys. Amsterdam has not legalized drugs. Instead, the Dutch have a carefully evolved policy of tolerating some drug possession and some drug distribution, while severely punishing abuse of their policy. This policy has not been repudiated by the citizens, the legislature, or the law-enforcement agencies. It's not a perfect policy, but it causes less harm than strict prohibition. Dombroski asserts, contrary to all available evidence, that legal heroin would cost more than the present illegal product. Perhaps this would be true if it were done by the government, but there's no reason to let the government make as bad a mess of legalization as it has of prohibition. After all, private industry routinely handles much more dangerous substances than heroin, competing to keep prices low while maintaining safety standards (through fear of lawsuits if for no other reason). After all, heroin is remarkably cheap to produce; the raw material grows! No, "legalization is not the answer" - but it's closer to than what we've been trying for decades! Roy B. Scherer Richmond - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens