DRUG-RELATED CRIME VS. PROHIBITION-RELATED CRIME

Dear Editor:

Brian Yun ("Cocaine abuse needs to end"; Viewpoints, Dec. 5) makes
the common mistake of confusing drug-related crime with
prohibition-related crime. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal
drugs while demand remains constant only increases the profitability
of drug trafficking. For addictive drugs like cocaine, a spike in
street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity
to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

With alcohol prohibition repealed, liquor bootleggers no longer gun
each other down in drive-by shootings, nor do consumers go blind
while drinking unregulated bathtub gin. While U.S. politicians ignore
the drug war's historical precedent, European countries are embracing
harm reduction, a public health alternative based on the principle
that both drug abuse and prohibition have the potential to cause harm.

Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs to stop
the spread of HIV, marijuana regulation aimed at separating the hard
and soft drug markets, and treatment alternatives that do not require
incarceration as a prerequisite. Unfortunately, fear of appearing
"soft on crime" compels politicians to support a failed drug war that
ultimately subsidizes organized crime.

Robert Sharpe, MPA

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.