Pubdate: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2001 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: Tom Maciocha RACISM, MONEY DRIVE AMERICA'S WAR ON DRUGS Re: U.S. versus them. It is rare that we are given the opportunity to step back and look at the big picture of prohibition in the United States without being subjected to atavistic, politically safe rantings of agency pod people. Thank you! Real journalism still lives. The primary driving forces behind our failed "drug war" have become obvious to any reasonably impartial person. They are: racism and political dollars. We have removed to prison an entire generation of black men in a manner that is disgraceful. The numbers of dollars spent on prisons, police, corrections, probations and the endless stream of studies and legislation, not to mention profits made on prison labor, make the "war" big business. It is rare for any politician to even imply that we are throwing human beings and money down a bottomless hole and not be branded as being evil incarnate. The two letters on Aug. 7 (Sound, balanced policy lessens illegal drug use and Drug series was skewed) from the directors of two of the agencies that continue on in their war manage to repeat, ad infinitum, the statistics of their success. We even have a quote in The Weekly Standard that Holland has become a den of iniquity. Some would argue that the quality of life in Holland is superior to that of this country. If we look at education, recreation, crime and wooden shoe production, Holland beats us hands down. The last time I strolled the streets there I saw very few "sex-obsessed druggies." They do, however, put mayonnaise on their french fries. It is interesting that the agency people never mention the statistics on alcohol use, tobacco deaths, prescription drug abuse and corn dog consumption. All of these are far more likely to kill us than pot. Can someone please explain to me the difference, besides the crazy statutes, between the guy at the liquor store who sells me a bottle of tequila and the guy who sells me cannabis? The DEA can poison every single plant in South America and shoot down missionary planes in an ever more efficient manner, but if the demand remains, there will always be a source to supply it. The demand, of course, comes from a life which is not quite measuring up to hope. - -- Tom Maciocha, Palm Harbor - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom