Pubdate: Sun, 01 Aug 2004 Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS) Copyright: 2004 The Clarion-Ledger Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/about/letters.html Website: http://www.clarionledger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n914/a04.html TREAT DRUG ABUSE AS HEALTH PROBLEM Regarding your thoughtful June 25 editorial ("Prisons: Fiscal prudence includes policies"), if harsh penalties served to deter illicit drug use, the elusive goal of a "drug-free" America would have been achieved decades ago. Instead of adding to what is already the highest incarceration rate in the world, we should be funding cost-effective drug treatment. Drug prohibition finances organized crime at home and terrorism abroad, which is then used to justify increased drug war spending. It's time to end this madness and instead treat all substance abuse, legal or otherwise, as the public health problem it is. Mandatory minimum prison sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake