Pubdate: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Copyright: 2008 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Contact: http://www.stltoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/418 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n793/a12.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n802/a08.html Author: Ric Haberstroh "ILLEGAL" IS THE PROBLEM "Missourian connected war on drugs to war on terror" (Aug. 17) stated that there is a $322 billion drug trade in the world and that it is linked directly to the spread of terrorism. The reason is the money, not the drugs. The fact that the drugs are illegal raises the prices astronomically, which makes them attractive to the terrorist organizations as an easy way to support themselves. Prohibition of alcohol in the United States created gangs and warfare for the same reasons. The police and army in Mexico are about to be overrun by drug cartels, and it is seeping into the United States at an alarming rate. Michael Braun and the Drug Enforcement Administration are not the answer; they are part of the problem. Prohibition doesn't prevent crime; it makes it more lucrative and, therefore, more inviting to criminals and terrorists alike. Countries that have prohibited drugs only increased the price of them, whereas countries that have legalized or decriminalized them have little or no problems with them. Money is the problem. If the drug trade is $322 billion, there are billions to be made by the corporations claiming to help fight the illegal drugs. It is a lose-lose proposition. Legalization of drugs is a plausible answer but is overlooked because of the vast amount of money being made by making them illegal and, thus, more lucrative. Ric Haberstroh Ferguson - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart