Pubdate: Sat, 30 May 2009 Source: Garden Island (Lihue, HI) Copyright: 2009 Kauai Publishing Co. Contact: http://kauaiworld.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/964 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n568/a12.html Author: Ralph Givens PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK The answer to Zeenice Roja's question about why a drug as dangerous as alcohol is legal is very simple. ("Alcohol vs. marijuana," Letters, May 26) We tried alcohol prohibition and it was a disaster. People like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano took over alcohol distribution and caused a 13-year crime wave filled with bombings and gun battles. Prohibition caused far more trouble than the alcohol did. The same situation to a lesser degree holds true for marijuana, but without the effects of alcoholism. The lesson we need to learn is that prohibition never works. It always turns the market over to career criminals who use violence as a business method. Ralph Givens, Daly City, Calif. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake