Victims from the drug war

PAUL Dyer’s article in Monday’s Northern Territory News (August 29) paints a less accurate picture regarding penalties for drug offences in the US. Far from being lenient, the US is up there with countries such as Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand when it comes to being tough on drugs.

A woman I write to in a Connenticut (sic), USA, is up for a 25-year-sentence. If you think this results from a huge drug bust, think again. Possession of 2.72 grams of cocaine was what Vicki Rosepiler was convicted of.

Then there’s this thing they have called enhancement, whereby people on drug charges are encouraged to lighten their own sentences by dobbing others in hearsay evidence. In Vicki’s case, someone claimed falsely that she had 500g of crack cocaine.

I read of another in a Mormon county where a man convicted of selling a small bag of cannabis to an undercover police officer received 55 years.

These extreme sentences seem to be the rule rather than the exception. You would think that this tough approach, and the hundreds of billions spent prosecuting the war on drugs, would have by now achieved its goal, i.e. it’s rid the US of the scourge of drugs. Wrong. Drugs are now available more widely and cheaply than ever. Like the prohibition of alcohol before it, prohibition of drugs has created a gigantic and lucrative black market.

If, on the other hand, the goal was to put lots of people in prison, they’ve certainly been successful there. There are close to 2.5 million people in prison in the US, at least half of them on drug charges.

So, I warn Australians planning to travel to the US that it’s possible your holiday or visit there could turn into a nightmare such as Schapelle Corby’s.

Vicki tells me that even after almost a decade behind bars, she still wakes up every morning and can’t believe this is happening to her.

Stuart Highway
Nightcliff

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Mon, 05 September 2005
Source: Northern Territory News (Australia)
Author: Stuart Highway (letter to the editor)
Copyright: 2005 Northern Territory News
Contact: ntnmail@ntn.newsltd.com.au
Website: http://ntnews.news.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/283