Pubdate: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA) Copyright: 2001 Cox Interactive Media. Contact: http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28 Author: Michael Honohan LAWS CREATE MORE CRIME A recent letter from a deputy police chief described how communities live in fear over addicts and drug dealers, but these problems for the most part are not the result of drug-use, but instead are a direct result of the war on drugs ("Drugs are scourge, must be fought," April 13). Because it is legal, alcohol hasn't created a crime wave. Liquor stores don't have shoot-outs. The gunfire in the neighborhoods is the result of an unregulated underground economy. The addicts steal because, like prices of any black-market items, drug prices are artificially exorbitant. If drugs were legal and regulated, drug dealers would not plague our streets. The price of drugs could be so low that addicts would be harmless panhandlers like winos. The police could focus on real crime, not crime artificially created by misguided laws. Seems that the police would not want that, especially in light of how much money is made by corrupt cops shaking down, protecting or working for drug dealers. MICHAEL HONOHAN Honohan is a computer programmer living in Marietta. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom