Pubdate: Mon, 18 Feb 2002
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2002 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Author: Arthur Cole
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n204/a09.html

DRUG WAR WON'T BRING PEACE TO LATIN AMERICA

In response to "Let's be a good neighbor to Latin America" (Feb. 7 Viewpoint):

It astounds me how rational people can bend their own arguments out of 
shape and end up supporting policies that would only exacerbate the 
situation they are attempting to correct. Such is the case with Jennifer 
Watson Roberts.

Inserting the U.S. military into the Colombian civil war is not going to 
bring peace. It will only bring more bloodshed. That's because the 
revolutionaries are awash in so much drug money that they are better funded 
than the Colombian army.

The drug war has only rewarded the drug cartels and the rebels by inflating 
the price of a $5 bag of cocaine to more than $500. If prohibition becomes 
even more successful, the price on the street goes even higher.

If we really want to bring peace to South America, we will end drug 
prohibition now.

Arthur Cole, Hope Valley, R.I.
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