Pubdate: Fri, 24 Mar 2000
Source: The Journal-News (OH)
Address: 228 Court Street, Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Contact: http://www.journal-news.com/edit.html
Website: http://www.journal-news.com/
Author: Jay Stevison

END THE DRUG WAR ON CONSENTING ADULTS

The Republican candidate for Butler County prosecutor, Robin Piper, is in a
very interesting situation. What do you do when your personal life conflicts
with your professional life?

In his personal life, he has admitted he was a drug user for 10 years of his
life, he's "never been addicted," he's "never needed drug rehabilitation,"
and says he proud of what he's become. He says many of the people he used to
party with are now "very successful." He now feels he deserves to be
forgiven by the voters.

I can forgive his drug use and I understand why his statements on his own
drug use make a good argument for ending the drug war on consenting adults.

In his professional life, he says he has "no trouble prosecuting drug
offenders." He also points out, "If anything, I was harder on those cases."
This statement leaves us with the obvious conclusion he was softer on other
cases such as murder, rape and robbery. Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't he
be harder on those cases with actual victims?

Common sense will allow you to draw only one of two possible conclusions:

- - Responsible drug use by consenting adults is such a bad thing that the
user should be jailed, disqualified from most employment and treated as a
second-class citizen for life with no forgiveness, as Piper believes for
others.

- - Responsible drug use by consenting adults is not such a bad thing and the
user should be allowed to get an education, pursue their careers and be
forgiven by society as he believes for himself.

It looks to me Mr. Piper has two choices. He can be an obvious hypocrite and
continue to do unto others or he can be consistent and give the same type of
understanding and forgiveness to others that he now wants other to do unto
him. You can't have it both ways.

If we had less laws and more punishment maybe Mr. Piper could be talking
about other issues instead of defending the personal choices he's made in
his life.

Jay Stevison Morgan Township
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