Pubdate: Thu, 01 May 2003
Source: Taipei Times, The (Taiwan)
Copyright: 2003 The Taipei Times
Contact:  http://www.taipeitimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1553

A TIMELY ARTICLE

Major kudos to Emma Bonino for her outstanding article ("It's time for a 
ceasefire in the largely ignored war on drugs," April 16, page 9). However, 
the war on drugs has not been ignored on this side of the globe.

The war on drugs has transformed the former "Land of Liberty"into the most 
incarcerated nation in history. With less than 5 percent of the world's 
population, the US has greater than 25 percent of the world's prisoners, 
thanks primarily to our counter-productive war on certain (politically 
selected) drugs.

The US has been attempting to nullify the immutable law of supply and 
demand for almost 90 years. (It started with the Harrison Narcotics Act of 
1914). The net result is that we still have the same percentage of our 
citizens addicted to drugs now as we had 90 years ago. (About 1.3 percent 
of our adult population).

My advice to Taiwan and the rest of the world: carefully observe US drug 
policy -- then do the opposite. Don't follow us -- we're lost.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Arizona
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MAP posted-by: Beth