Pubdate: Sun, 10 Sep 2000
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2000 The Dallas Morning News
Contact:  P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265
Fax: (972) 263-0456
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Author: Brian Kershen
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1303/a07.html

TAXPAYERS ARE THE VICTIMS

Re: "Drug war - This crime isn't victimless," Letters, Sept. 3.

Louis Polito lists several crimes that he links to drug trafficking in an 
effort to prove that drug use is not a victimless crime. He mentions the 
killing of police officers, strained relations between countries, and the 
billions of dollars spent to police drug trafficking. He even neglected to 
add the corruption of public officials and the turf wars fought by drug 
gangs as other major public concerns.

However, Mr. Polito fails to realize a simple truth - none of these crimes 
would be happening in the first place if drugs were decriminalized. To put 
it another way, it is because we treat drugs as a moral failing instead of 
as a public health problem that causes the crimes to happen.

Mr. Polito was correct on one observation. The only real crime being 
committed here is the billions of our tax dollars being wasted to try and 
police drug trafficking.

BRIAN KERSHEN, Addison
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