Pubdate: Sun, 05 May 2013 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Copyright: 2013 Los Angeles Times Contact: http://www.latimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248 Author: Bart Braverman END THE DRUG WAR Re "Obama vows alliance with Mexico," May 3 In trying to reduce the violence in Mexico, President Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto are doing a hat dance around the obvious solution. As repugnant as it may be to some, decriminalizing drug use would quickly accomplish a number of goals: Drug cartels would lose billions of dollars, hampering their ability to corrupt public officials; law enforcement on both sides of the border would gain much-needed man-hours for use in fighting serious crimes; and billions of dollars wasted annually on a fruitless drug war could be recouped for use in bolstering the economy. Drug use is a personal choice; drug abuse is a medical problem. We can no longer afford to waste time, money and political capital on a lost cause. Let's put an end to this ridiculous dance. Bart Braverman Los Angeles - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom