Pubdate: Mon, 16 Sep 2002
Source: The Monitor (TX)
Copyright: 2002 The Monitor
Contact:  http://www.themonitor.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1250
Author: Cortlandt van Winkle

ANTI-DRUG LAWS PASSED TO HARASS GROUPS

To the editor:

How many people are aware of the origin of our anti-drug laws? They had 
nothing to do with drugs or narcotics as such. Marijuana was prohibited in 
the 1930s as a weapon to harass illegal aliens and send them back to 
Mexico. They used marijuana, and by making it illegal, it gave the 
immigration authorities another weapon for harassment.

Congress in its infinite wisdom made other drugs illegal to harass the 
hippies and the anti-Vietnam War protesters. None of these anti-drug laws 
were passed to prohibit drugs for their content, but just to harass certain 
groups.

Now we have a large bureaucracy to "fight drugs," making it almost 
impossible to end it. Too many people would lose their jobs and have to go 
work. Congress has thus provided the means of raising huge sums of money 
for terrorists groups. Oh well, we know that pro and con are opposites, and 
it is easy to tell the opposite of Progress.

Cortlandt van Winkle, Donna
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