COMMON MYTH

Leonard Pitts' column makes the often-repeated argument that the War
on Drugs is a failure just as the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s
was a failure. Whether we should end our War on Drugs (particularly
marijuana) is a legitimate issue with many excellent arguments on both
sides. However, we should debunk the common myth that Prohibition was
a failure. If by "failure," we mean the public rejected Prohibition,
that much is obviously true. But if we mean that the repeal of
Prohibition was a wise decision, the facts might suggest otherwise.

The many problems associated with Prohibition pale in comparison to
the hundreds of thousands of people killed by drunk drivers and
alcohol-related health problems since the repeal of Prohibition. While
it is true that Prohibition resulted in some gangland murders, the few
hundred killed in the illegal alcohol trade fade into insignificance
when compared to the 15,000 people killed every year by drunk drivers.

The common belief that Prohibition did not work is simply not true. It
was extraordinarily effective at saving tens of thousands of lives. It
worked. What failed was the public's inability to control its desire
to drink. Whether our desire to drink is worth the cost in thousands
of lives and billions of dollars is debatable, but we should not point
to Prohibition as a law that didn't work, or to its repeal as an
unmitigated good. In fact, our experience with Prohibition should
discourage us from giving up the War on Drugs, not encourage us to do
so, considering the fact that giving up the war on alcohol has
resulted in so many deaths.

Now, it is highly unlikely that the legalization of marijuana would
have the same catastrophic consequences as the legalization of
alcohol, and this is one good reason to support its decriminalization.
But supporters of ending the War on Drugs should stop pointing to the
repeal of Prohibition as a success story. The truth is the end of
Prohibition has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
Americans. Ending Prohibition was not a shining moment in American
history, as it is so often portrayed.

Mark A. Stelter, professor of criminal justice, Lone Star
College-Montgomery