Pubdate: Tue, 22 Feb 2011 Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) Copyright: 2011 Howard Wooldridge Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Author: Howard Wooldridge DRUG PROHIBITION KILLS THE INNOCENT Regarding the article on Thursday, "Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne: Mexican cartels an 'escalating threat' to U.S.": Speaking as a retired detective who fought in the trenches of the drug war, I know that this modern drug prohibition has been a spectacular, trillion-dollar failed public policy. We certainly know from our experience in 1933 that, to destroy the Mexican cartels, we simply need to repeal drug prohibition. Horne's call for a "massive new education campaign to teach drug users about the cartels" is a solution? You have to be kidding me. That was tried after 9/11 and was a colossal failure. Drug users know full well that it is prohibition that causes money to flow to Osama bin Laden. I challenge Horne to put pen to paper and tell us all the advantages and positive outcomes of drug prohibition. Something that says the disaster and suffering of Mexico is worthwhile. Howard Wooldridge Tucson - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake