Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jun 2008
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2008 The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n709/a02.html
Author: Howard Wooldridge
Note: From Newshawk: First LTE in the print edition.

ILLEGAL DRUGS REDUCE PUBLIC SAFETY

Re: "Legalizing pot doesn't make us safer.

We are winning the fight against drug use and abuse, says James 
Capra," Tuesday Viewpoints.

As a police officer who worked the trenches for 18 years, my 
experience is that marijuana prohibition dramatically reduces public safety.

Street cops spend millions of hours chasing adults who use marijuana 
in their homes. Detectives spend hundreds of thousands of hours 
searching for pot gardens. Every hour spent in this pursuit is one 
less hour to arrest the deadly DUI, the child porn producers and 
others who would hurt innocents.

Mr. Capra of the DEA either was never a street cop, or he is worried 
about losing his job and pension. Given a choice, most street cops 
would rather spend time arresting a DUI, not an adult using marijuana 
in his or her home.

Howard Wooldridge, Dallas 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake