Reporter Laurie Goering describes Peru's reduction in the land
used for coca production in the country as a "small and important victory''
in the war on drugs ("Peru's cocaine harvest withering," Page 1, Sept. 22).
The operative word here seems to be small, since Peru continues to be the
world's leading producer of coca, the raw material for cocaine, according to
the article. And, if we can trust reports from the U.S. Office of National
Drug Control Policy, cocaine remains as plentiful and cheap as ever in our
own nation.

The price of this so-called victory does not seem worth the meager benefit.
In addition to the more than $20 million a year needed from the U.S. to
maintain the program, the children of Peruvian peasants were starved, and
planes were shot out of the sky, even without evidence they were involved in
the cocaine trade.

On top of that, officials quoted in the article acknowledged that farmers
who have given up coca production could be swayed to return to the crop at
any time and that traffickers have found other methods and routes for their
business.

Attempts to paint this policy as a success show just how desperate drug
warriors are to find something positive in their futile and
devastating crusade.

Steve Young