Pubdate: Thu, 1 Oct 2009
Source: Asheville Citizen-Times (NC)
Copyright: 2009 Asheville Citizen-Times
Contact: http://www.citizen-times.com/contact/letters.shtml
Website: http://www.citizen-times.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/863
Author: Stan Nachman

NEW APPROACH NEEDED TO DRUG LAWS

Our 40-year "war on drugs" has had little impact on the problem, 
despite the tens of billions of dollars per year cost of policing, 
trying, jailing and burying those involved. We must take the profit 
motive out of the illegal drug trade by providing drugs to users at 
little or no expense. Such a program would cost a fraction of our 
failed policies, even if state or national drug rehabilitation 
programs accompanied the change. It is true that those who overdose 
from drug abuse today may continue to do so under the new plan. 
However, without the profit motive, it would certainly not take us 40 
years to pass through that unfortunate time to a saner, cleaner and 
healthier new era.

The chain of illegal drug manufacturing and recruitment of new 
addicts would break down. The vast sums of money being funneled by 
the drug trade into crime and terrorism would be reduced by orders of 
magnitude, saving additional financial and spiritual costs. The 
muggings, home break-ins, destroyed families and shattered children 
that are so ruinous would shrink as well.

Our current approach just does not work; we should try legalization. 
It's hard to imagine that we'd be worse off.

Stan Nachman, Asheville
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake