Pubdate: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 Source: Zephyr, The (IL) Copyright: 2004, The Zephyr Contact: http://www.thezephyr.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1566 Author: Richard J. Rawlings Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/writers/Richard+Rawlings END DRUG PROHIBITION Editor: How many times do we have to remind everyone of the dangers of prohibition (currently masquerading as the "dangers of drugs and drug use") before people wake up? How many more people will have to go to jail for possession, selling, growing, and the manufacturing of drugs before we realize there is a better way? How many more innocent people will have to die in drive-by shootings and mistaken home raids (by both cops and crooks) before we think to maybe try another approach, one that is demonstrated every day to be a better solution than prohibition? Who is killing or robbing for a Budweiser or a Marlboro? How much more will terrorists, gangs and crooked cops earn off the black market created by prohibition before it's enough? The government needs to take the money out of the hands of criminal organizations. Start using our tax dollars, the money that they have been throwing away for the last 30+ years on this failed war on drugs, to regulate and educate. If not, prohibition will only keep feeding and breeding criminal activity. The studies have been done. The jury is in. Prohibition does not work. Richard J. Rawlings Illinois Marijuana Party Bartonville - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart