Pubdate: Wed, 03 Apr 2002 Source: Wilmington Morning Star (NC) Copyright: 2002 Wilmington Morning Star Contact: http://www.wilmingtonstar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/500 Author: Robert Sharpe NO TO ONE STRIKE EDITOR: Wilmington public housing residents have good reason to oppose the "one-strike, you're out" policy of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The zero-tolerance law requires that entire families be evicted from public housing if anyone, even a guest, uses drugs. The youthful indiscretions of a rebellious teen-ager could result in homelessness for an entire family. ... Zero tolerance has done little other than create a massive prison-industrial complex. Based on findings that criminal records do more harm than marijuana, a majority of European Union countries have decriminalized pot. Despite harsh penalties and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country. The failed drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government. The alleged "Land of the Free" now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. It's simply not possible to wage a moralistic war against consensual vices unless privacy is completely eliminated, along with the U.S. Constitution. America can either be a free country or a "drug-free" country, but not both. Robert Sharpe Program Officer Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens