Pubdate: Wed, 03 Nov 1999 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 1999 Associated Press Cited: Criminal Justice Policy Foundation http://www.cjpf.org/ NOTE: A protest sponsored by D.C. based organiations will be held THURSDAY NOV. 4, 1999 Washington, DC 5:30-7 pm. For details see: http://www.stopthedrugwar.org/ U.S., LATIN LEADERS CALL THE WAR ON DRUGS A FAILURE WASHINGTON - The U.S.-led war on drugs is a failure and should be revised to fight the demand for drugs and drug money, a group of prominent Americans and Latin Americans said Wednesday. "The escalation of a militarized drug war in Colombia and elsewhere in the Americas threatens regional stability, undermines efforts towards demilitarization and democracy and has put U.S. arms and money into the hands of corrupt officials and military ... units involved in human rights abuses," the group said in a letter to delegates to this week's drug strategy conference. The 13 signers of the letter included jurists, doctors, artists, religious leaders and three former Latin presidents - Belisario Betancur of Colombia, Violeta Chamorro of Nicaragua and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Oscar Arias of Costa Rica. "As you meet to develop hemispheric drug strategy, it is time to admit that after two decades, the U.S. war on drugs - both in Latin America and in the United States - is a failure," the letter said. Despite spending tens of billions of dollars for raids on drug labs, crop eradication and arrests and imprisonment at home, "today in the U.S., illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent and more easily available than two decades ago," it said. The signers urged officials attending Thursday and Friday's drug conference to consider policies that will focus more on reducing consumption, expanding drug treatment programs, and promoting economic development to decrease the reliance on drug income among people who produce it. The letter was released at a press conference organized by the Washington-based Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, which pushes for reform on crime issues. Officials said it was unclear whether delegates to the closed-door meetings would speak against the U.S. anti-drug approach because they rely not only on military aid that comes with it, but fear jeopardizing trade and other relationships with the United States. "Can there be an earthquake in drug policy ... in one year, five years ... this is the challenge," said Eric E. Sterling, president of the foundation. "But it's unrealistic to expect a country to thumb its nose at the U.S. on such a high-profile issue." The White House office for drug policy said it was unaware of the letter to delegates and had no immediate comment. Barry McCaffrey, who heads the office, has said illegal drug use is dropping in the United States, prompting traffickers to look for new markets in Europe. "This conference provides an opportunity to share our ideas and strategies for stopping the flow of illegal drugs," said a statement from McCaffrey's office. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake