Pubdate: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 2004 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78 Author: Robert Sharpe Refereced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1147/a11.html EQUAL JAIL TIME FOR WHITES WOULD END WAR ON DRUGS The writer is policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy. In response to Ed Williams' "An unfinished journey" (Aug. 11 Editorial Notebook): Ted Shaw, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, is right about the war on drugs being a war on blacks. Blacks and whites use drugs at roughly the same rates. If whites were incarcerated for drug offenses at the same rate as minorities, support for the drug war would end overnight. It's worth noting that tobacco use has declined considerably in recent years. Public education efforts are paying off. Apparently mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin