Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jun 2011 Source: Houston Chronicle (TX) Copyright: 2011 Houston Chronicle Publishing Company Division, Hearst Newspaper Contact: http://www.chron.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/198 Author: Dick Russell RECALLING HISTORY The quote from the Global Commission on Drug Policy states the obvious solution quite well, i.e., that governments must end the criminalization, marginalization and stigmatization of people who use drugs but who do no harm to others. There was no way to fight a successful war on drugs, just as there was no way the constitutional amendment on prohibition of alcohol could be successful. Now is the time for the U.S. to decriminalize drugs, just as we decriminalized alcohol in 1933 through repeal of Prohibition. It is somewhat odd that Congress felt empowered to criminalize selected drugs, but it took a constitutional amendment to criminalize alcohol. One wonders if that mind-set would also try to control or criminalize other harmful substances such as tobacco or high-sugar soft drinks. How far do such elements in our government and society think they can go in "protecting" us from ourselves and still be consistent with the individual freedoms ensured by our Constitution? Dick Russell, Houston - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom