Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 Source: Daily Southtown (IL) Copyright: 2006 Daily Southtown Contact: http://www.dailysouthtown.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/810 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n743/a07.html Author: Kirk Muse LEGALIZE DRUGS FOR SAKE OF OUR KIDS Thanks for publishing James E. Gierach's outstanding guest column, "Shocking tolerance of drug-war casualties" (June 9). I'd like to add that when pure pharmaceutical-grade Bayer heroin was legally sold in pharmacies and grocery stores, deaths from drugs like heroin were very rare. That's because the drugs were of known quality, known purity and known potency -- just the opposite of today's bootleg, black-market drugs. And today's illegal black-market drugs are untaxed, unregulated and controlled by criminal gangs -- just like alcohol was when it was illegal. Please, for the sake of our children, re-legalize all drugs so they can be regulated, controlled and taxed by our government -- not criminal gangs. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake