Pubdate: Tue, 04 Apr 2006 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) Copyright: 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Contact: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html Website: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28 Author: Meghan Bohn Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) MERE RECREATION CAN KILL YOU The Atlanta Journal-Constitution turned over valuable space on the op-ed page last week to let a "recreational" drug user whine that his addiction damages no one but himself ("Use of crack should not make me a felon," March 28). The AJC was wrong to publish this kind of misleading nonsense without refutation. The writer is just plain wrong. Legality of banned substances should not be determined by who uses them or why they use them. The only exception to this should be when a substance is prescribed by a doctor. Charles Jackson wrote that he did not understand why he, a 65-year-old "recreational" user of crack cocaine, is considered a felon. "Possession of a gram or less of cocaine for one's own use should not be a felony. The 'crime' does not merit it," he wrote. I understand why Jackson believes he and other recreational users are not intentionally hurting others and are simply feeding their own addictions. I also share his sentiment that the U.S. government doesn't deal with drug offenders in the most efficient way. Nonetheless, Jackson does not seem to understand how easy it is to hurt other people or allow an addiction to get out of control. As a student at the University of Georgia, I often encounter people with a nonchalant attitude toward casual drug usage. I believe that this early, casual use is part of the reason America has such a drug problem. People begin their habits believing they are affecting only themselves. I don't believe hard-drug users are ever affecting just themselves. Like suicide, drug use can be a selfish act that in the end hurts more people than were intended. I know people who do cocaine and still live normal lives. But I have also seen some ruin their lives and the lives of others. A couple of fellow students and friends were forced to drop out of school, go to jail and pay for expensive rehab. Parents were involved, both emotionally and financially, and friends felt a loss, maybe even guilt. Luckily, I have never been personally connected to someone who has died as a result of their drug use. Unfortunately, many students at UGA have experienced this. The January death of Lewis Fish, a freshman, brought hard-drug use to a focal point for discussion on campus and in all of Georgia. Because of "recreational" users such as Fish, use of cocaine and similar drugs should be considered a felony. It is not only on campus that my life has been affected by others who use cocaine. I know someone who recently cleaned himself up after about 15 years of addiction. He spent years trying to keep his use a secret. It took a custody battle over his newborn child to rid him of his addiction. Understanding his innocent child would suffer, he forced himself to go into rehab and quit. Many people are not able to quit. Many drug users ruin their lives and others even though they don't intend to -- and all "recreational" drug users should put that in their pipe and smoke it. * New Attitudes is a weekly opinion column written by readers between the ages of 15-22. E-mail submissions or questions to or call 404-526-7371. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman