Pubdate: Fri, 30 Sep 2005
Source: Tucson Citizen (AZ)
Copyright: 2005 Tucson Citizen
Contact:  http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/461
Author: Kirk Muse
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1489.a01.html

DRUG TASK FORCES JUST BUREAUCRACIES

I'm writing about the outstanding letter by Stephen Heath of Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition: "Cops given impossible task," Sept. 17

.I'd like to add that most of our politicians' answer to our nation's
drug problem is to throw more money at the problem by forming and
financing drug task forces.Drug task forces are just government
bureaucracies. And like all government bureaucracies, they're
guaranteed to expand.

Heads of bureaucracies get paid in direct proportion to how many
employees work for them, not according to how well they perform their
mission.

Throwing more and more money at our drug problem is not the answer. We
have been doing this for more than 35 years. The net result is that
illegal drugs are just as available today as they were in 1969.The
only thing that changes is the name of the evil drug du jour. Today it
is meth. A few years ago, it was crack cocaine and before that,
something else.

In 1969, the federal drug enforcement budget was $65 million. Last
year, it was $19.2 billion, not including local, state and
incarceration costs.That's an increase of greater than 29,500 percent.
If the price of coffee, which sold for 25 cents a cup in 1969, had
increased at that rate, we would now be paying almost $75 a cup.

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again
and expecting a different result. It's also a good definition of
stupidity.Our nation's drug policy has been both insane and stupid.
It's time to do something substantially different.

Kirk Muse
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin