WASHINGTON BULLETINS

Drug War Illusions

George Will's latest syndicated column argues that American aid to Colombia
will not help us win the war on drugs. "Will the United States ever learn?"
he asks. "As long as it has a $50 billion annual demand for an easily
smuggled substance made in poor nations, the demand will be served." True.
But the point that demand calls forth supply does not apply only abroad. It
also makes nonsense of efforts to suppress drug use by throwing drug
sellers in jail. That doesn't mean that George Will should, to follow the
logic of his position, abandon the war on drugs altogether. He could come
out for punishing casual drug users, for real, so as to drive down demand.
But does anyone think such a policy could be sustained for longer than two
minutes?

In the course of making his point, Will relates a story in which George
Shultz expressed skepticism about another effort to win the drug war
overseas. Will got the story from Daniel Patrick Moynihan. But perhaps he
should talk directly to Shultz, who supports the legalization of drugs.