Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jul 2008
Source: Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA)
Copyright: 2008 Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/460
Author: Ralph Givens
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n722/a06.html

DISSING THE DRUG WAR

Former Drug Enforcement Administration special agent  Daniel J. 
Addario should study some history before  declaring the war on drugs 
a success ("Dissing the  DEA," Letters, July 25 and PghTrib.com).

Before drug prohibition began in 1914, there were no  drug gangs, no 
criminal drug cartels and no such thing  as "drug crime."

When addicts could buy all of the heroin, morphine,  cocaine and 
anything else they wanted cheaply and  legally, no one was robbing, 
whoring and murdering to  get their drugs. When drugs were legal, 
addicts worked  regular jobs, raised decent families and were 
indistinguishable from teetotalers.

The "junkie" is a creation of drug crusaders like  Addario who 
falsely claim to be "saving people from  themselves."

Addario wickedly claims that the "DEA doesn't waste  valuable time 
arresting pot smokers and perpetrators of  victimless crimes," but 
cannot explain the DEA raids  currently being done on medical 
marijuana centers in  California.

Every time there is any attempt to end marijuana  prohibition at the 
state level, a DEA agent shows up  telling reefer madness tales to 
stop any change.  Addario ignores more than 800,000 marijuana arrests 
every year because of state and federal pot laws the  DEA encouraged.

If Addario bothers to do some fact-checking, he will  find that 
illegal drugs are now purer, cheaper and more  widely available than 
when the DEA began.

Addario's drug crusade has filled American prisons with  drug users 
without reducing drug use one iota.

One last point: Timothy Leary was never convicted of  any LSD offenses.

Ralph Givens

Daly City, Calif.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom