Drug Reform

In your editorial (May 18) about the withdrawal of the Rev. Robert Schuller from the drug reform movement you said: “Legalization is clearly not the answer” (to the drug problem). What is? More money?

On March 28, “60 Minutes” said: “The biggest disaster may be the war on drugs itself. Over a decade $100 billion has been spent and more Americans are addicted than ever before.”

The present criminalization of drugs program has wrecked our court systems, overburdened our police forces, the Coast Guard, and the military, filled our prisons with more than their capacities and funneled billions out of the U.S.!

Taking the profit out of drugs by government-controlled sales as in England and using billions for education and treatment can reduce addiction and prevent children from becoming criminal drug pushers.

ROBERT CLIFTON

Retired Judge, Superior Court

Los Angeles County