Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 2010 Charles McPhate Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n000/a022.html Author: Charles McPhate A HOME RUN It is rare that I agree with Leonard Pitts Jr., but he hit a home run with "Let's admit War on Drugs a failure" (Page B11, Tuesday). The War on Drugs was lost as soon as it was declared because it was a strict prohibition of drugs and a refusal to admit that some people would do anything to get them. It is time to admit that some people and their lives are going to be a disaster no matter which way the drug problem is handled. Over the years of prohibition many innocent people have suffered the scourge of the drug scene. Policemen have been killed. Crime victims have lost property and their lives to fight the good war fight. Most crime can be traced to drugs. The drug problem could be eliminated easily. The federal government could buy drugs cheaply and distribute them to all hospitals to be administered to anyone on demand with no questions asked. This would destroy the drug cartels instantly, along with most crime in the nation. We would need fewer policemen, courts, jails and prisons. This will never happen in the real world because there are too many people who will not admit that there are some who cannot be saved by prohibition. This would work only if there was no charge because politicians would like to use it to raise revenue. Remember, it was a politician who declared the War on Drugs. Politicians know that in order to increase their power they only need to declare war on something. Charles McPhate, Houston - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake