Pubdate: Thu, 11 May 2006
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2006 The Sacramento Bee
Contact:  http://www.sacbee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376
Note: Does not publish letters from outside its circulation area.
Author: Muriel Strand

SAVING ENERGY IN DRUG WAR

It's too bad President Bush didn't realize how much potential 
Mexico's President Vicente Fox's derailed drug bill had for helping 
our energy addiction.

The consequences of criminalizing human practices such as enjoying 
mind-altering substances or trading sex for money require substantial 
and growing expenditures - cops, lawyers, courts, prisons. This cure 
is worse than the disease.

While the money spent doesn't always equate directly to the energy 
that could be conserved, I'm willing to bet the energy used by the 
criminal "justice" system is higher than anyone realizes and, 
eventually, unaffordable.

We would also be wise to reconsider our energy-intensive approach to 
both homeland security and military adventures abroad. Could we save 
enough energy by not using our oil-based military might to reduce our 
demand enough that we don't need to control Iraqi oil?

- - Muriel Strand

Sacramento
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman