Pubdate: Sat, 21 May 2005
Source: Southeast Missourian (MO)
Copyright: 2005 Southeast Missourian
Contact:  http://www.semissourian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1322
Author: Kirk Muse
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n749/a09.html

DRUG POLICIES PUSH PRISON LIMITS

To the editor: I'm writing about your thoughtful May 7 editorial: 
"Pseudoephedrine."

Keeping the ingredients of meth behind the counter of licensed pharmacies 
is certainly a lot better solution than the previous non-solution of 
building more and bigger prisons.

Oklahoma learned the hard way that the so-called tough-on-drugs policies 
don't work and are expensive. Primarily because of its tough-on-drugs 
policies, Oklahoma became the fourth highest state for incarcerations.

Primarily because of our war-on-drugs policies, the United States has been 
transformed into the most incarcerated nation in the history of human 
civilization. Even though we in the United States have fewer than 5 percent 
of the world's population, we have more than 25 percent of the world's 
prisoners.

In other words, one out of every four prisoners in the world is locked in 
an American jail or prison. What message does this send to the rest of the 
world?

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth