Pubdate: Sun, 03 Dec 2006 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2006 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ Website: http://www.sptimes.com/home.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: Terry Kemple REMEMBER ALCOHOL Robyn Blumner's appeal to legalize drugs has a logical ring to it if you look narrowly at the aspect that she chooses to use as her rationale. Fortunately, those in positions of responsibility have looked at the overall ramifications of legalizing drugs and found her argument wanting. She doesn't factor into her equation the dramatic cost to our society of the major mind-altering drug that is already legal. Traffic fatalities due to alcohol abuse are one of the leading causes of death in our country. Go to any prison, and the vast majority of those incarcerated are there for crimes committed while under the influence of alcohol. And those criminals include a huge number of minors who shouldn't have access to alcohol but who, because of its easy availability, are able to get it without any problem. Check the instances of child abuse, domestic violence and breakup of the family, and you'll find that alcohol use plays a key role in the tragic statistics in these areas. Now take into account the lives simply ruined by alcohol addiction. Most of the homeless people on our streets are there due to mental difficulties, and most of those mental problems stem from abuse of alcohol. People who wind up addicted to alcohol don't take their first drink in order to become alcoholics. They take it because it's readily available. I'm curious why Robyn Blumner chose not to take these clearly negative factors into account before promoting the legalization of any other mind-altering drug. Terry Kemple Executive Director Community Issues Council Valrico - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine