Pubdate: Tue, 12 Feb 2002
Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD)
Copyright: 2000 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan
Contact:  http://www.yankton.net
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1046
Author: Alan Randell
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n194/a08.html

U.S. WAR ON DRUGS DISTRACTS FROM OTHER ISSUES

This is in regards to the story, "Authorities Say I-90 Becoming West- 
To-East Drug Corridor." (Press & Dakotan, Feb. 4)

Aided in no small measure by uncritical news stories such as this, our 
governments continue to oversee a brutal drug war pogrom designed to 
distract our attention from more important issues (and to provide bigger 
budgets for our police officers) by ruining the lives of the innocent few 
who ingest or sell certain drugs.

And please, don't insult my intelligence by insisting the drug war is there 
to protect users from harmful drugs. First, banning a drug harms users 
(adulterated drugs and jail time) and non-users (murder and mayhem on our 
streets) much more than if the drug were freely and legally available. And 
second, if that were the reason, why didn't we ban alcohol and tobacco, too?

Hitler's armies may have lost the war but his ideas seem to have found 
ready acceptance in the Land of the Free.

Alan Randell,
Victoria, B.C., Canada
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