Pubdate: Sun, 31 Jul 2011
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2011 Star Tribune
Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143
Website: http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266
Author: Gil Kerlikowske
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n482/a02.html

DRUGS

In his July 24 column ("Drug war is a failure, so let's experiment"), 
Jason Lewis quotes me as saying that "in the grand scheme, it [the 
'war on drugs'] has not been successful."

I have long believed that we cannot simply arrest our way out of our 
drug problem. The "war on drugs" rhetoric represents an overly 
simplistic approach to a complex public health and public safety problem.

However, it is just as simplistic -- and just as misguided -- to 
think that decriminalization is the solution to America's drug 
problem. Lewis refers to the Global Commission on Drug Policy, an 
advocacy group that recently called for the decriminalization of all 
illegal drugs.

While it is tempting to think that decriminalization offers a simple 
solution, the facts tell us otherwise.

A recent report by the Department of Justice's National Drug 
Intelligence Center about the economic impact of illicit drug use 
indicates that the annual cost of illicit drug use on health care and 
productivity alone amount to more than $80 billion.

Making illicit drugs legal -- and therefore more accessible -- would 
not reduce any of these costs to our society. Lewis presents his 
readers with a false choice: Either accept the old "war on drugs" 
approach or embrace decriminalization.

The president's national strategy on drugs treats the problem with 
the seriousness it deserves, addressing a complex issue through a 
balanced public health and public safety approach.

GIL KERLIKOWSKE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

The writer is director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom