Pubdate: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 Source: Wall Street Journal (US) Copyright: 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Contact: http://www.wsj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487 Author: Michael J. Reznicek Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n232/a01.html THE WAR ON DRUGS ITSELF IS CAUSING MOST OF THE DAMAGE "Rethinking the War on Drugs" by Mark A.R. Kleiman, Jonathan P. Caulkins and Angela Hawken (Review, April 21) misleads readers into thinking that there are programs that will finally make headway into the drug problem. Can cities really afford to hire enough breathalyzer and drug-test monitors to check drug users twice a day? And will "swift and certain sanctions" do anything more than displace drug markets like a Whac-A-Mole game, or fill jails and prisons with nonviolent users? Here is an idea: Let's go back to the way we did things prior to 1914. All drugs were legal for adults, and there were no social programs to rescue those who misused them. With no excuses and no enabling, people were forced to moderate their use. Michael J. Reznicek Spokane, Wash. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom