Pubdate: Mon, 09 Oct 2000
Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2000 The Modesto Bee
Contact:  http://www.modbee.com/help/letters.html
Website: http://www.modbee.com/
Author: Allan Bowlin

LOSING THE DRUG WAR

In light of the recent incident when the SWAT team accidently shot and 
killed an 11-year-old boy during an alleged drug bust, this country should 
wake up and realize that the so-called "war on drugs" was lost even before 
it started because of the profit, the need and the use.

We need to take the profit out of illegal drugs. The hundreds of millions 
of dollars that is spent on law enforcement has failed miserably. The 
United States should legalize all drugs and place them in controlled 
clinics. We should save millions of dollars and lives, plus drastically 
reduce our prison population.

I worked for more than 30 years for state and county mental health 
agencies, which entailed a great deal of hands-on experience concerning 
illicit drug usage. We certainly have short memories. What folly was 
alcohol prohibition, and now illegal drugs are reaping the same results.

ALLAN BOWLIN

Modesto, Sept. 29
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