Pubdate: Wed, 25 Jan 2006
Source: Hanover Mariner (MA)
Copyright: 2006 Hanover Mariner
Contact:  http://www.townonline.com/hanover/news.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3164
Author: Kirk  Muse
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n079/a01.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

A DIFFERENT VIEW ON DRUG USE

Regarding Mary Smith's not-so-thoughtful oped: "Vote 'no' on drug 
Use, Bill H4176" (1-18-06), my question for Smith: Why does she want 
recreational drugs to  remain completely unregulated, untaxed and 
controlled by criminals? Only legal  products of any kind can be 
regulated, controlled and taxed by any  government.

I'd like to  add that if tough-on-drugs policies worked, the quixotic 
goal of a drug free  America would have been reached a long time ago. 
And if  tolerant drug policies created more drug use, the Netherlands 
would have much  higher drug usage rates than the United States. They do  not.

In fact,  the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at 
much lower rates than  Americans do. See the web site: 
www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm. And if  tolerant drug policies 
caused more overall crime, especially violent crime, the  Dutch would 
have much higher crime rates than the U.S. They do not. The 
Dutch  murder rate is less than one-third the U.S. per capita murder 
rate and their  rate of incarceration is about one-seventh the U. S. 
incarceration rate.

It's  obvious that the Dutch drug policy works a lot better than the 
U. S. drug  policy. I vote to follow the Dutch drug policy--not the 
U. S. drug war  cheerleaders like Smith.

Kirk  Muse

Mesa,  AZ
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom