Pubdate: Tue, 06 Apr 2010 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2010 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IuiAC7IZ Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Author: Constance Larsen U.S. DRUG LAWS The tragic killings of 10 young Mexican students by members of a drug cartel require a re-examination of U.S. drug laws ("Gunmen kill 10 students on way to scholarships; Mexican officials say youths defied roadblock typically set up by drug traffickers," News, March 30). No matter how many police on either side of the border are used to combat the drug trade, there is only one final method to eliminate it: Legalize drugs in the U.S. so it will bankrupt the lowlife who kill whomever is in their way. Imagine the reduction in federal and state crime budgets, a reduction of money used to house too many people in expensive prisons. Transform the illegal use of drugs into the medical/psychological problem it really is in the U.S. That so many people have to escape into drugs suggests the need to question the quality of life offered in the U.S. Constance Larsen, Skokie - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake