Pubdate: Thu, 13 Dec 2007
Source: Lake Oswego Review, The (OR)
Copyright: 2007 Pamplin Media Group
Contact:  http://www.lakeoswegoreview.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4634
Author: Kirk Muse
Note: Title provided by Newshawk

IMAGINE NO DRUG-RELATED CRIME

To the Editor:
Thanks for publishing Allan Erickson's thoughtful letter, 
"Legalization seems to be the way to go in drug war" (Dec. 6).

Imagine if we had no "drug-related crime." Imagine if our overall 
crime rate was a small fraction of our current crime rate.

We once had such a situation here in the United States. Prior to the 
passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, the term "drug-related 
crime" didn't exist.

And drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them 
today, didn't exist either.

Back then, all types of recreational drugs were legally sold to 
anybody with no questions asked, for pennies per dose in grocery 
stores and pharmacies.

Did we have a lot more drug addicts then compared to now? No.

We had about the same percentage of our population addicted to drugs 
according to U. S. federal judge John L. Kane of Colorado.

For the sake of our children, can we re-legalize our now-illegal 
drugs and sell them from licensed business establishments? This would 
put the drug dealers and drug lords out of business overnight.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.
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