Pubdate: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 Source: Watertown Daily Times (NY) Copyright: 2001 Watertown Daily Times Contact: http://www.wdt.net Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/792 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1585/a07.html DRUG WAR'S FAILURE Your Aug. 27th editorial on the disturbing number of Americans behind bars asks why so many people are breaking the law. With violent crime rates continuing along a downward trend, the never-ending drug war is the main reason the United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Putting otherwise law-abiding Americans who use illicit drugs behind bars with hardened criminals is a dangerous proposition. Prisons transmit violent habits and values rather than reduce them. Politically popular mandatory minimums have turned many a taxpaying recreational drug user into a long-term tax burden. At an average cost of $25,071 per inmate annually, maintaining the world's largest prison system can hardly be considered fiscally conservative. Instead of turning potentially productive members of society into hardened criminals, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment. The punitive Nanny State is causing tremendous societal harm while failing miserably at preventing drug use. Drug policies modeled after alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market in illegal drugs. Unlike legitimate businesses that sell liquor, illegal drug dealers do not ID for age. So much for protecting the children. While U.S. politicians continue to use the drug war's collateral damage to justify its intensification at home and abroad, European countries are embracing harm reduction. Harm reduction is based on the principle that both drug use and drug prohibition have the potential to cause harm. Given the historical precedent in alcohol prohibition, harm reduction should be readily understood by Congress. Ironically, fear of appearing "soft on crime" compels many politicians to support a punitive drug policy that ultimately fuels organized crime and violence. Washington, D.C Robert Sharpe Program officer, The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation - --- MAP posted-by: Josh