Pubdate: Sat, 8 Jan 2011 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2011 Charles Guerriero Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Charles Guerriero LOSING THE DRUG WAR Re: "Innovators one step ahead in drug war -- Cities on the front lines of the fight against K2, say Geralyn Kever and Tony Dale," last Saturday Viewpoints. Unfortunately, the prevalence of K2 is a prime example of the law of unintended consequences. As a substitute for marijuana, a substance less harmful than alcohol, youths seem to have easier access to these far more dangerous alternatives, and adults feel they can skirt drug tests at work. The endless stream of new replacements even suggest a rumored "K3." This is comparable to the rise of dangerous and highly addictive methamphetamine as a substitute for cocaine use during the 1990s. The problem is not the next new drug so much as the big picture. American drug policy toward marijuana yields nearly one million arrests annually; nine of 10 are for personal possession. We have nothing to show for all this madness, as marijuana is easier to obtain than alcohol for minors and use has only risen since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Charles Guerriero, Dallas