Pubdate: Sat, 25 May 2002
Source: Anniston Star (AL)
Copyright: 2002 Consolidated Publishing
Contact:  http://www.annistonstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/923
Author: Redford Givens

SPEAK OUT ... ON REPEALING DRUG LAWS

There is no deep mystery about the cause of prison overcrowding in 
Alabama - drug prohibition is the cause. Without drug users the 
prison system would be plenty big enough to handle all of the real 
criminals - the robbers, child molesters, kidnappers and murderers.

Since more than 50 percent of all crime is "drug (prohibition) 
related," ending prohibition will cause an across-the-board reduction 
in crime.

Instead of sanity we get mindless alibis that never address the fact 
that Amer-ica's lunatic drug crusade causes far more crime, disease 
and death than drugs by themselves ever did or ever could do.

The solution to America's self-created "drug problems" is to repeal 
brain-dead drug laws and regulate adult drug use the way we do 
alcohol.

It's worth remembering that Eliot Ness and the revenuers never put 
the booze barons out of business.

Repeal and a regulated market for adult alcohol use ended the bootleg era.

Regulation works for alcohol and regulation will work for drugs.

Prohibition, on the other hand, has never worked for anything, 
anywhere, anytime.

Redford Givens San Francisco
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MAP posted-by: Josh