Pubdate: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2008 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n366/a07.html WAR ON DRUGS A CURE WORSE THAN DISEASE Mandatory minimum prison sentences have done little other than turn what is supposed to be the "land of the free" into the world's biggest jailer ("Declare peace in war on drugs," April 6). If harsh penalties deterred drug use, the goal of a "drug-free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding drug treatment. The drug war is a cure worse than the disease. Drug prohibition helps finance organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased spending on the drug war. It's time to end this madness and instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health problem it is. Drug abuse is bad, but the drug war is worse. Robert Sharpe Washington The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin