Pubdate: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 Source: Post and Courier, The (SC) Contact: 2002 Evening Post Publishing Co. Website: http://www.charleston.net/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567 Author: Sharon Fratepietro U.S. DRUG WAR A careful look at recent headlines in The Post and Courier tells an important story about the U.S. government's War on Drugs. On Aug. 18: "Homicide rate spikes after summer killings" - a story about local murders often blamed on illegal drug involvement. On Aug. 20: "Crack raids hit suppliers" - about yet another local neighborhood drug sweep to drive out illegal drug sellers. On Aug. 26: "Record 6.6 million in U.S. prison system" - reporting that one in every 32 adults in the U.S. is in prison, on probation or parole, many for drug possession, drug selling or drug-related violence. But the kicker is this on Sept. 6: "Survey finds increase in use of drugs." The U.S. government's most recent national survey found that more people than ever, including more teens, are using illegal drugs, despite locking up all those folks. Stupidity is defined as repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting a different result. The U.S. government has been fighting this punitive drug war since the Harrison Narcotic Act in 1914! Since then, not only has illegal drug use increased, the government's War on Drugs has made society's situation far worse. Today the United States, with just 5 percent of the world's population, has 25 percent of the world's prisoners. Despite our zero-tolerance, punitive drug policy, the U.S. has more drug-related violence than any other developed country in the world. The very illegality of drugs makes them so valuable that some terrorist groups use drug profits to finance their terrorism. Our government's anti-drug budget increases each year - it now exceeds $20 billion annually plus another billion every couple of years to try to wipe out coca and poppies in Latin America. Please note that no one is being murdered in turf wars over beer or cigarettes, both made from potentially dangerous drugs. Few people steal to support their alcohol or tobacco habits. The U.S. was smart enough to end alcohol prohibition in 1933 after 13 violent years spent fighting an unwinnable war. When alcohol prohibition ended, the murder rate decreased 13 consecutive years! It is time to change the U.S. drug policy and decriminalize drugs. Time to address drug abuse as the medical and social problem it is. Time for the government, instead of dealers and terrorists, to regulate and distribute drugs, educate society about the stupidity of drug abuse, and hold people accountable for crimes they commit while using drugs, just as we now do for alcohol. After 88 years, haven't we been losing the drug war long enough? SHARON FRATEPIETRO - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom