YOUR SAY: Drug war 'doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime'

ICE is the latest illicit drug to make headlines, but it won't be the last until politicians acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure.

RE EDITORIAL by Andrew Korner: Police Can't Turn Blind Eye To Cannabis (20/4/15).

Ice is the latest illicit drug to make headlines, but it won't be the last until politicians acknowledge the drug war's inherent failure.

Drug policies modelled after the United States' disastrous experiment with alcohol prohibition have given rise to a youth-oriented black market.

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Illegal drug dealers don't ID for age, but they do recruit minors immune to adult sentences.

Throwing more money at the problem is no solution.

Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

For addictive drugs like ice, 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.

Taxing and regulating cannabis, the most popular illicit drug, is a cost-effective alternative to a never-ending drug war.

As long as cannabis distribution remains in the hands of organised crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like ice. Cannabis may be relatively harmless compared to legal alcohol, but cannabis prohibition is deadly.

ROBERT SHARPE Policy analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington

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Originally published as YOUR SAY: Drug war 'doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime'