Pubdate: Wed, 21 May 2008
Source: Columbian, The (WA)
Copyright: 2008 The Columbian Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.columbian.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/92
Author: Allan Erickson
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n491.a03.html

DRUG LAWS FULL OF FLAWS

As soon as I saw the May 13 letter "Don't Legalize Drugs," I knew it
had to be from Sandra Bennett. Bennett again misses the mark on our
drug laws.

The history of our drug laws is fundamentally racist, spawned from
xenophobic hysteria.

These laws (dating back to the Harrison Tax Act) have failed in the
extreme.

We gift to the cartels and gangs absolute control over the illegal
drugs market, just as alcohol prohibition turned control of booze over
to the criminal syndicates.

Ending prohibition removed that control.

Re-legalizing all drugs, like we re-legalized alcohol, will have the
same effect.

Legalization is not a panacea, but it will undoubtedly remove a great
portion of the $500 billion a year the cartels make annually via their
control of the global black market in illegal drugs.

Further, countries with more lenient drug policies have lower drug-use
rates than the U.S., with its punitive, lock-em-up drugs
prohibition.

Allan Erickson

Eugene, Ore.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin