Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jan 1998 Date: 08/01/1998 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Author: James V. Halloran III Website: http://www.latimes.com/ McCaffrey's commentary is illogical and misses the main point. Drug-related crime (i.e., robbery, murder, etc.) still accounts for two-thirds--by the government's own estimates--of crime against persons. I have chosen not to join the minority who have put themselves in harm's way by doing drugs, but I cannot choose not to be a victim of a crime perpetrated by someone looking for easy money to feed a drug addiction. This is the harm driven by the government's draconian measures. Our freedoms are also being compromised by "stiff law enforcement." McCaffrey's traditional approach is demonstrably a failure. We need to try something that "reduces harm" for the vast majority not involved in the world of drugs, but who are victimized by it daily through no fault of their own. JAMES V. HALLORAN III Redondo Beach