Pubdate: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 Source: Detroit News (MI) Copyright: 2007, The Detroit News Contact: http://detnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1224/a11.html Author: Robert Sharpe THERE'S A BETTER WAY Nolan Finley has good reason to blame drug prohibition for the violence plaguing Detroit streets. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime. While U.S. politicians ignore the drug war's historical precedent, European countries are embracing harm reduction, a public health alternative based on the principle that both drug abuse and prohibition have the potential to cause harm. Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop the spread of HIV, regulated marijuana sales aimed at separating the hard and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require incarceration as a prerequisite. Robert Sharpe - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake