Pubdate: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 Source: Frederick News Post (MD) Copyright: 2001 Great Southern Printing and Manufacturing Company Contact: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/contact/contactfinalnew.cfm?contact=letters Website: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/814 Author: Justin Rhoderick WAR AGAINST OURSELVES What if society could condemn you for smoking your favorite cigar or drinking your favorite wine. What if you could be condemned to a prison term for collecting China plates. I am talking about the war on drugs. How is it that you can be sent to prison for using drugs in the privacy of your own home, where it doesn't affect anyone or violate any other person's rights by doing so. I thought we made laws in this country to keep from violating other people's rights, and their right of choice. If a crime by definition is an evil act, how can personal recreational use of drugs be a crime against humanity. The war on drugs is doing and stopping nothing, only using up our hard-earned money to enforce such ridiculous laws. This country alone has more people imprisoned on drug charges than every other country in the world combined -- quite possibly productive people who could be out here stimulating the stock market. There is only one solution to this problem: the decriminalization of drugs, which would end the black market. This is where crime against humanity and violence are introduced into many young lives. The possibility of making major cash influences juvenile behavior. Therefore, decriminalization would reduce drug-related crime significantly, lowering corruption on the streets, in the schools and even our homes. Let's admit it, a drug like marijuana has a lot of benefits, such as government taxes, as an alternative source for production of paper and clothing products from hemp, even by helping terminally ill patients. Prohibition of any substance, harmful or not, is unconstitutional. We need to restore power to the public. The war on drugs is nothing more than a campaign for votes. We need to stop looking down on drugs, and accept them as part of human nature. Justin Rhoderick Middletown - --- MAP posted-by: Beth