WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED AND WASTED MONEY

This is submitted in response to the front-page article "Police
search for suspect, find marijuana instead" (DJ-12/14).

Luis Alvarado of Vineland was arrested charged with marijuana
possession with intent to distribute after police allegedly seized a
backpack containing more than $1,000 worth of marijuana.

If found guilty and sentenced to prison, he will join the 25 percent
of inmates (about 500,000 out of 2.1 million) sentenced for drug
offenses, all thanks to the war on drugs. Unfortunately, it's safe to
say that we haven't even begun to make a dent in the drug-using
population. About 35 million people admit to having used an illegal drug.

The DEA did a study in 1965 and found that about 5 percent of the
illegal drugs coming into the U.S. were being seized. The late
President Ronald Reagan implemented the war on drugs in 1980. Twenty
billion dollars and 15 years later, the DEA did a second study. It
got the same results -- 5 percent. How can we say we're winning the war?

The prohibition of drugs has increased their value. Prohibition means
profits; the illegal drug trade brings in about $150 billion per year.

Don't mistake me: I do not advocate the use of drugs. What I do
advocate is a wise expenditure of the tax money taken out of my
paycheck. Paying the estimated $33,000 a year that it costs to keep
non-violent drug offenders behind bars is not my idea of a wise expenditure.

Erin Witte

Vineland