Pubdate: Wed, 21 May 2008
Source: Express (Nelson, CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Kootenay Express Communication Corp.
Contact: http://www.expressnews.ca/letters.html
Website: http://www.expressnews.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2339
Author: Russell Barth
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n486/a09.html

Reaction to May 7 editorial regarding legalizing drugs

DRUG PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK

Dear editor:

Drug prohibition was never about public safety, it has always been
about control.

Drug prohibition laws offer the police all the "rights" they need to
harass and detain the young, the poor and people of colour.  This
generates an ever-growing need for more cops and more jails, so that
they can continue to justify their existence.

Then, police and government use the media to perpetrate their
propaganda about how terrible drugs are (even though junk food kills
many people) and the snowball grows even more.

Their message seems to be that we need more prohibition to protect us
from the dangers of prohibition.  But the only thing drug prohibition
protects us from is our freedom.

Russell Barth

Ottawa
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin