Pubdate: Fri, 24 Jan 2003
Source: Centre Daily Times (PA)
Copyright: 2003 Nittany Printing and Publishing Co., Inc.
Contact:  http://www.centredaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/74
Author: Marcus Roux

VOTE AGAINST DRUG ENFORCEMENT

I would like to offer my sincere appreciation for U.S. Sens. Rick
Santorum and Arlen Specter for voting to refuse to appropriate $500
million for the continuation of the Edward Byrne Grant (a federal
program that gave money to state and local governments for projects
that address drug-related crime, violent crime and serious offenders).

The war on some drugs has been an utter failure. We spend $50 billion
per year trying to eradicate drugs from this country. How much more
money will it take before we win this war?

Our prisons are overcrowded with nonviolent drug offenders, and
throwing more money at this problem is not solving it.

We've tried prohibition once with alcohol and it led to a large
criminal underworld, unsafe products and disrespect for the law.
Prohibition was not repealed because alcohol was found harmless, but
because its use was less corrosive to society than the effects of its
prohibition. We should take a page from history and not treat drug use
as a criminal issue, but as the social and public health issue it is.
Currently, drug dealers do not check for identification and
distribution to minors is prohibited only by their lack of money.

The most stunning example of this war's hypocrisy is marijuana. It
does not share the extreme addictive properties of tobacco, and,
unlike alcohol and tobacco's combined 400,000 deaths a year, it has
never caused one. Yet, 700,000 people a year are arrested on marijuana
charges and the criminal record is significantly more harmful to the
individual than this plant. We need to significantly re-evaluate our
outdated policies and extreme monetary waste.

Marcus Roux,
State College
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake