Pubdate: Fri, 08 Feb 2002
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2002 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact:  http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Tom O'Connell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/campaign.htm (ONDCP Media Campaign)
Alert: http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0231.html
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n197/a06.html

TV AD HYPOCRISY

Editor -- It's interesting that after referring to our "failed" war 
on drugs, The Chronicle should then agree with the lame-brained 
premise advanced so expensively with our tax dollars on Super Bowl 
Sunday: that purchasing illegal drugs supports terrorism (editorial, 
"Your body, their profits," Feb. 6).

That logic ignores that the world's lucrative illicit drug markets 
were created and are sustained by an ill-advised U.S. attempt to ban 
them. Since the end of World War II those markets have prospered 
almost in direct proportion to the money spent trying to suppress 
them.

Money diverted into the drug markets has corrupted law enforcement 
officials here at home and, in the case of smaller drug-producing 
nations, has kept responsible government far beyond the reach of 
impoverished peasant populations that grow drug crops. One has only 
to review the recent history of Burma, Colombia and Afghanistan to 
appreciate the dire international consequences of our domestic policy 
failure.

That the TV ads should refer primarily to Afghanistan is especially 
hypocritical. Not only does our drug policy play an important role in 
sustaining that nation's heroin market -- our CIA directly helped 
expand it during the '80s before the Russians were expelled. 
Afterward, we helped Pakistan install the repressive Taliban as de 
facto rulers.

TOM O'CONNELL,

San Mateo
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MAP posted-by: Josh