Pubdate: Thu, 09 Apr 2009
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Copyright: 2009 The Detroit News
Contact:  http://detnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Author: Nolan Finley
Note: Nolan Finley is editorial page editor of The Detroit News.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/corrupt.htm (Corruption - United States)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

WAVE WHITE FLAG IN THE DRUG WAR

The shocking spectacle of a respected Wayne County judge, a
crackerjack prosecutor and two veteran cops standing as defendants in
a courtroom confirms the war on drugs is lost.

Former Assistant Prosecutor Karen Plants is accused of wanting a
conviction so badly in a narcotics case that she corrupted two Inkster
officers and compromised retired Judge Mary Waterstone. All were
career warriors in a hopeless conflict.

The possible slide of good guys to the wrong side of the law
epitomizes the drug war's failure.

We've been fighting drugs for 35 years, and yet we haven't gained an
inch of ground.

Mexico's drug-fueled lawlessness is surging over our border. More than
half our prison inmates are in for drug crimes, contributing to the
shameful fact that Michigan spends more on Corrections than we do on
colleges.

Detroit and other big cities have been dismantled by the drug
gangs.

And the number of addicts remains constant.

This is a classic military quagmire. We respond to losing by deploying
more troops instead of questioning the mission's viability. In 1986,
Congress escalated spending, with the goal of ending the narcotics
trade in 10 years.

And now we're about to undergo another major escalation to keep the
anarchy in Mexico from destabilizing parts of our country.

Why not try something new? Take away the crime, and get rid of the
criminals.

The drug cartels wouldn't have a market for their contraband if we
legalized drugs. They'd be as obsolete as the Purple Gang.

Replacing illegal producers with licensed, legal distributors doesn't
stop the use of drugs, but it would bring them under tighter control.

With the market in the hands of criminals, there's no way to regulate
the potency of narcotics or keep them out of the hands of minors.

Teens can buy marijuana easier than they can buy beer because beer
stores face stiff penalties for selling to minors. Pushers don't check
IDs.

Tax dollars reaped from drug sales could be invested in treating true
addicts.

It chafes our instincts to think of marijuana, cocaine and heroin
stocked in bright packages on store shelves.

But we've lost the war. Fighting harder and longer won't bring
victory. Even when we fight dirty we can't win -- as evidenced by the
Wayne County charges.

Better to bring drugs up from the underground, control their
distribution with regulation and attack demand with taxation and
education -- just like we do tobacco.

If organized criminal outfits are going to run the drug trade, I'd
rather they be Congress and Corporate America than an army of Mexican
hoodlums.

Nolan Finley is editorial page editor of The Detroit News.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin