War on drugs was costly for McKenzie Elliott – Baltimore Sun

My heart is with the family of McKenzie Elliott as this wound is reopened in the healing process ("Man charged in 2014 killing of 3-year-old McKenzie Elliott," April 26). The only thing more heartbreaking than her death is our attachment to a failed policy which breeds the violence which took her life and so many others. Sadly, McKenzie's death can be traced back to the "War on Drugs." The man who killed her should most certainly be held accountable, and I applaud those in law enforcement who worked so persistently to bring him to justice. However, removing one gang member from the streets isn't going to stop gang-related violence. This "whack-a-mole" strategy has failed since the moment it began in the early 1970s, and, as someone who spent a career with the Baltimore Police Department, I find it totally unproductive.

The drug war has not improved public safety. It has not reduced illicit drug overdoses. It has not dismantled criminal organizations. In fact, the opposite is true.

Regulating drugs from a public health perspective nationwide and improving drug treatment access will reduce crime and violence, weaken gangs and reduce death, disease and addiction. Other countries like Switzerland and Portugal are leading the way. The longer we wait to implement common sense measures like fully funding treatment on demand, the more tragedy we're going to be confronted with.

Mike Hilliard, Baltimore

The writer is a retired Baltimore police major.

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War on drugs was costly for McKenzie Elliott - Baltimore Sun