Pubdate: Sun, 15 May 2005
Source: Herald Democrat (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Herald Democrat
Contact:  http://www.herald-democrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2710
Author: Janis Reasnor
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n752/a04.html

SIMILIARITIES BETWEEN TODAY, PROHIBITION

In response to Your views, "We must offer help" (5-9-05), I thank the 
writer for expressing the real issues about our drug laws.

We are creating a society of unemployable young men and women. These people 
have an illness and should be treated as such, instead of as hardened 
criminals. There are just as many people hooked on legal prescriptions as 
there are on illegal drugs. Prescription drugs can be bought on the black 
market and are just as addicting as meth, crack, ice, etc.

If prohibition was still in effect, look at all the people who would be in 
prison for alcohol. Did this country not learn anything from prohibition? 
It doesn't work.

The War on Drugs is prohibition all over again. The money involved, keeping 
drugs illegal, creates corruption. The same thing that happened during 
prohibition is happening again. Bacteria growing in the stills could kill 
you with one drink, and they could blow up - the same thing we are going 
through with meth labs.

This country needs to look into Canada's experiment, giving drug addicts 
their drugs under the administration of a doctor and clean needles for 
needle users. Actually, places in Europe have already been using this 
treatment. They are finding this is helping get heroine addicts off 
heroine, plus cutting down on the spread of AIDS. But our representative 
for the United States stated, "We believe in recovery in this country." It 
looks like to me, we are creating a world of mess. Our recovery is putting 
them into prison.

I think it's time to make changes in this country. To all you people with 
closed eyes to this, please open them.

Child molesters have an addiction to little children. These people are 
never cured, either, but yet we would rather put someone in prison for 
drugs. We overcrowd our prisons with people who have drug addictions and 
let child molesters walk our streets. How many more children are going to 
be molested and murdered before this crime is taken more seriously?

Janis Reasnor, Colbert, Okla.
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