Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jan 2002
Source: Northwest Florida Daily News (FL)
Copyright: 2002 Northwest Florida Daily News
Contact:  http://www.nwfdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/313
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n077/a05.html?2789
Author: Stephen Heath

A PERPETUAL WAR

Re: "Folly in Colombia" (editorial, Daily News, Jan. 16).

Your headline says it all. Many Americans understand that Plan Colombia is 
typical of U.S. drug policy. And that is a focus on financing aggressive 
police and military methods as the primary tools for dealing with America's 
very real problems of drug abuse.

Regardless of how many thousands of acres of South American soil we poison, 
and no matter how many billions we spend on helicopters and gunships in 
Colombia - not to mention SWAT teams and paramilitary police units in our 
own cities - not a single drug addict in America is any closer to true 
recovery.

America's drug warriors attempt to convince our citizens as well as the 
rest of the world that our drug problems are caused by those in other 
countries. Until Americans begin to more accurately respond to the root 
causes of drug abuse and addiction, we are assured of a perpetual war that 
will be carried on both at home and abroad.

STEPHEN HEATH, Drug Policy Forum of Florida, Clearwater
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