Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jul 2001
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2001 The Register-Guard
Contact:  http://www.registerguard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362
Author: Randy Gicker

ILLEGALITY MAKES DRUGS RISKY

I appreciated the article in the July 15 Commentary section that 
demonstrates the madness of drug prohibition. As an intensive-care-unit 
nurse, I have observed that most critical admissions of illegal drug users 
are a result of the illegality and not the physiological or psychotropic 
effects of the substances.

Local and systemic infections, heart valve disease and even overdoses 
usually occur because of the inconsistent purity and quality of black 
market drugs and the unhealthy circumstances under which addicts may be 
forced to use them. Use of heroin would be fairly safe compared to alcohol, 
tobacco and fast food if it were available in the quality of those legal 
products. The fact that marijuana is regulated at all is evidence that drug 
enforcement is primarily driven by authoritarian and economic considerations.

Some of the most aggressive advocates of strict drug laws are police, 
prosecutors and prison guards. The drug war provides significant job 
opportunities for these taxpayer-funded employees. In addition to 
destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of drug users and their 
families, the excessive presence of law enforcement leads to even greater 
abuse of power than would be expected with more restrained and accountable 
police and judicial systems.

As police officers, courts and prisons divert huge amounts of tax revenue 
from medical care and education, the greatest threat to public health and 
public safety may be local law enforcement itself.

Randy Gicker
Eugene
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom