Pubdate: Sat, 22 Dec 2001
Source: Hattiesburg American (MS)
Copyright: 2001 Hattiesburg American
Contact:  http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1646
Author: Mike Plylar

WE MUST REASSESS OUR DRUG POLICY

Maybe Don Strange ("Narcotics bureau leader gives state ultimatum on cuts," 
Dec.19, IA) speaks the truth and doesn't even realize it when he states, 
"The people of Mississippi had better get their priorities straight on drug 
traffic."

The time has clearly come to get past these simplistic government dictates 
that have never, will never and can never work. Let Don Strange resign and 
replace him with someone with an honest understanding of drugs and the 
policies that actually work to reduce the harm of drug black markets on 
society.

Our ancestors realized that, for what harm alcohol may do, prohibition is 
far worse. By now, the same should be clear to most Americans about drugs.

In light of America's latest war and catastrophe, maybe a closer 
examination of our past, current and future policies - both foreign and 
domestic - is long overdue.

Can we afford the luxury of an excessive, deadly and disastrous civil war 
like the war on drugs, which devours fully 50 percent of all our law 
enforcement resources, while terrorists, wishing Americans the gravest of 
harm, live, move and train right here among us?

Are our national priorities skewed? Ask any postal worker if the white 
powder leaking from an envelope on their sorting table turns out to be 
cocaine instead of some truly lethal biological agent. Would they feel 
relieved? In their situation, how would you feel? Thank God it's only cocaine.

While Americans have chased each other for decades, dedicating phenomenal 
amounts of our national assets searching for all manner of illegal plants, 
pills, powders and the like, our real enemies have literally invaded us. We 
all continue to pay the price for our government's drug war blunder - and 
that's the real national tragedy.

Mike Plylar

Kremmling, Colo.
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MAP posted-by: Beth