Pubdate: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 Source: DrugSense Blog Website: http://drugsense.org/blog/ LETTER OF THE WEEK TIME TO END THE WAR ON DRUGS Kudos to William Dixon for speaking the truth about our absurd war on drugs. A fact-based public discussion is exactly what is needed. When questioned about the utter ineffectiveness of their efforts, drug war bureaucrats crow about the latest seizures and arrest figures as evidence of success. In fact, the only legitimate measure of success for drug policy is whether it saves more lives than it destroys. In that regard, prohibition is an unmitigated disaster. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that black market violence, adulterated drugs, and the spread of HIV are all exacerbated by prohibitionist policies. Yet when confronted with hard evidence, our politicians choose to disregard scientific fact and mutter vaguely about "the message this sends to our children". It's time for drug policies based on scientific evidence, not political dogma. Anders Froehlich, San Rafael, CA Pubdate: Sat, 18 Dec 2010 Source: Gainesville Sun, The (FL) Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n1038/a07.html - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake