Pubdate: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2004 The Baltimore Sun, a Times Mirror Newspaper. Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Steve Cole Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1113/a10.html BENEFITS OF LEGALIZING DRUGS Bravo to Peter Moskos for his column advocating the legalization of drugs. Mr. Moskos wrote cogently of the need to try something other than drug prohibition to attack our problem with rampant drug use. There would be many benefits from drug legalization. Once we legalize drugs, we could funnel taxes from the sale of drugs into improved and readily available treatment, which could actually lower drug use. At the same time, drug legalization would, in effect, increase the number of police officers available, as many existing officers would be freed from drug enforcement duties. And addicts could have access to less-expensive, safer drugs, which would free them from lives of petty crime to feed their habits. Our bonus? Less crime and fear and lower insurance rates for all. We tend to snicker at the Prohibition era of the Roaring '20s when our government tried to legislate the impossible and failed miserably. When will we recognize the similarities of that period to today's war on drugs? Steve Cole Baltimore - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake