Pubdate: Thu, 17 Aug 2000
Date: 08/17/2000
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Author: Michael K. Gailband

It's interesting that Mr. Burke is keeping the war on drugs alive.
It's been a long, 30-year war that has spent billions without any
results and can't be won.

That's right, it can't be won, prohibition in the 1920s failed and
this prohibition is failing too. Mr. Burke, like any good businessman,
sees drug dealing done not by a drug company as competition. If
somebody is prohibited from growing a plant for pennies then he and
others can charge $10 a pill and make billions. He's only doing what's
right for the company; fighting the drug war is a very good business
move.

When will policy makers in this country realize that we can't force
people not to put things in their body? It's impossible to police that.

Michael K. Gailband,
Staten Island, N.Y.