Pubdate: Sun, 18 Mar 2001
Source: Watertown Daily Times (NY)
Copyright: 2001 Watertown Daily Times
Contact:  260 Washington Street, Watertown NY 13601-3364
Fax: (315) 782-1040
Website: http://www.wdt.net
Author: Loren R. Sousie and Robert George
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n342.a02.html

HISTORY LESSON - WAR ON DRUGS CAN'T BE WON

St Lawrence County District Attorney Jerome Richards' letter has prompted 
responses from a couple of people who have admitted to using some sort of 
drugs and from an elderly lady who never has.

Perhaps he should find out what the two who used were taking, because their 
minds were seeing things more clearly than he was.

As to the 74 year old lady, there is no way he can propel himself through 
time to acquire her wisdom.  No doubt she is aware of or remembers the 
folly of prohibition.  If it's illegal we want it.  The price goes up 
because of the risks.  Innocent victims galore.

Since the beginning of time humankind has partaken of mind-altering 
substances.  Amazingly, with no "Rockefeller laws" to punish, they did so 
freely.  And the human race progressed.

Mr. Richards should make himself aware of President Nasser's resolve to rid 
Egypt of its drug problems after Farouk's reign.  He doubled the penalties 
knowing that would end the problem within six months. Within six months the 
drug trade had doubled.  More risk, more profit and always someone to take 
the risk.

It strains credulity to think our leaders are not aware they will never win 
this war.  They just don't have the political courage to say 
otherwise.  Recognizing now the moral disintegration of these leaders, is 
it unrealistic to wonder if some of the profits might be finding their way 
back to them?

For the record, I'm 67 years old, don't use, don't sell.

Those who do not learn from history---you know the rest.

Loren R. Sousie  Bombay, New York

MOST AREN'T SELLING

St. Lawrence County District Attorney Jerome J Richards stated in a letter 
of Feb. 28 that "Cases indicated people sent to prison were heavily 
involved in illegal drug trafficking.

Their  possession offense was of such a significant amount that prison was 
the only alternative available to stem the tide of damage to society that 
would have been caused by the distribution of the illegal drug, which they 
possessed."

According to the annual "Crime in the United States" report, there were 
704,812 marijuana arrests in 1999, 88 percent of which were for possession, 
not sale or manufacture.

(Source FBI's division of Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States 
1999, published in October 2000.)  Numbers appear on pages 211 and 212 of 
FBI's Crime in the United States 1999.

Robert George  Ogdensburg, New York
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