Pubdate: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2007 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://news.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1232/a02.html Author: Robert Sharpe WRONG STRATEGY Regarding David W. White's thoughtful column ("Unintended casualties aplenty in drug war," Oct. 24), mandatory minimum prison sentences have done little other than give the land of the free the highest incarceration rate in the world. The deterrent value of zero tolerance is grossly overrated. During the crack epidemic of the 1980s, New York City chose zero tolerance, opting to incarcerate as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack and America's capital had the nation's highest per capita murder rate. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. The decline was not due to a slick anti-drug advertising campaign or the passage of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Simply put, the younger generation saw first-hand what crack was doing to their older siblings and decided for themselves that crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be done about hard drugs like crack or methamphetamine, the latest headline grabber. Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives. - - Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom