Pubdate: Wed, 01 May 2002 Source: Delta Democrat Times (MS) Copyright: 2002 Delta Democrat Times Contact: http://www.ddtonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2123 Author: Richard W. Jones WAR ON DRUGS IS ABYSMAL FAILURE Editor: In Donald Adderton's recent column "Rising To The Challenge Of Drugs, Gangs Takes Guts" he writes "... There has been a concerted government response ... to the illegal drug invasion with varying degrees of success ..." The varying degrees of success have been: unsuccess, failure and counterproductive disaster. We have been waging a vast and outrageously expensive war against drug users for over forty years and drugs are cheaper, purer, more varied and more available now than at any time in human history. We need to look for alternative solutions because what we are doing is not working and more of the same won't help. Some European countries are generating measurable success by medicalizing the use of hard drugs (letting doctors rather than police help drug addicts) and by regulating rather than criminalizing marijuana. Making cannabis available to adults takes it out of the hands of street dealers who will also sell hard drugs to anyone, including children. These measures have reduced the overall number of drug abusers as well as the associated damage, death and crime. Outrage at the destruction caused by drug abuse is warranted, but it must be coupled with practical steps to reduce the harm caused by both drugs and the drug war. Richard W. Jones, Jackson - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager