Colombia and the war on drugs

Re “Authorities break up Colombian heroin networks,” May 24

The Times has been periodically reprinting this myth of “progress” in the war on drugs for decades; only the names of the agents, drugs and arrestees change. If The Times is going to continue to cover this fairy tale, can you at least cover both sides? A quote from an authority at the Drug Policy Foundation or some such will do, and it will always be the same: “The story offers false hope. Prohibition is not, has not and cannot work. Prohibition promotes gangs, violence and criminality, and is contrary to the best interests of a free and lawful society.”

PETER WILSON

Simi Valley

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Re “Colombia may drop anti-drug plan,” May 23

If Colombian President Alvaro Uribe wants to cut off his nose to spite his face, so much the better. The proposed free trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia would destroy the livelihood of family farmers in Colombia. It would benefit wealthy investors in both countries at the expense of working people.

The expensive but largely ineffective anti-drug plan consists mainly of aerial spraying of herbicides on rural parts of Colombia. It is a waste of U.S. taxpayers’ money and an attack on Colombia’s farmers and environment. Therefore, if Uribe rejects the anti-drug plan because Congress rejects the free trade agreement, it will be good news on both counts.

PATRICK BONNER

South Gate