Pubdate: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1773/a01.html EDUCATION WORKS Re: Let judges judge, Nov. 12. Regarding your thoughtful editorial, if mandatory minimum prison sentences deterred drug use, Canada's southern neighbour would be a "drug-free" America. That's not the case. The drug war has done little other than turn the former land of the free into the world's biggest jailer. It's worth nothing that tobacco use has declined considerably in recent years. Public education efforts are paying off. Apparently mandatory minimum sentences, civil asset forfeiture, random drug testing and racial profiling are not necessarily the most cost-effective means of discouraging unhealthy choices. Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake