Pubdate: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 Source: High Point Enterprise (NC) Copyright: 2004 High Point Enterprise Contact: http://www.hpe.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/576 Author: Kirk Muse PROHIBITION OF DRUGS CAUSES VIOLENT CRIME I'm writing about your thoughtful editorial, "Rising homicide rates demand more attention" (Jan. 6). I'd like to add that most murders nationwide attributed to drugs or gangs are caused by our government's policy of drug prohibition. Eighty years ago, liquor dealers settled their disputes with each other the same way drug dealers do today - with violence. Many prison wardens have said that 70 to 80 percent of all violent crime is drug-related. Actually, almost 100 percent of our so-called drug-related crime is drug criminalization-caused crime. Ninety years ago, when all types of recreational drugs were legally sold in local pharmacies for pennies per dose, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or drug dealers as we know them today. If we re-legalized all types of recreational drugs and made them available in local pharmacies for pennies per dose, our violent crime would be reduced by at least 70 percent. Therefore, we would need far fewer law-enforcement personnel, far fewer prisons, far fewer prison guards and no prison builders. Therefore, law enforcement, prison guards and prison builders have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo of drug prohibition. Therefore, taxpayers have a vested interest in changing the status quo of drug prohibition. KIRK MUSE - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake