Pubdate: Wed, 10 Apr 2002 Source: Buffalo News (NY) Copyright: 2002 The Buffalo News Contact: http://www.buffalonews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/61 Author: Robert Sharpe TARGETING DRUG 'HOT SPOTS' COULD BACKFIRE The Buffalo Common Council's commitment to a tough-on-drugs cleanup of criminal "hot spots" is no doubt well-intended, but ultimately counterproductive. Forcibly limiting the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increases the profitability of drug trafficking. In terms of addictive drugs like heroin, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. The burden on taxpayers grows each year as ever more drug users and dealers are imprisoned for consensual vices. Drug use continues unabated as replacement dealers step in to reap inflated illicit market profits. Let's not kid ourselves about protecting children. Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences. The Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by replacing marijuana prohibition with adult regulation. Dutch rates of drug use are significantly lower than U.S. rates. Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zero tolerance. Here in the United States, illegal marijuana provides the black market contacts that introduce consumers to drugs like cocaine. This "gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy. Drug policy reform may send the wrong message to children, but I like to think the children themselves are more important than the message. Opportunistic tough-on-drugs politicians would no doubt disagree. Robert Sharpe, Program Officer Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart