Pubdate: Sat, 23 Aug 2014
Source: Times, The (Trenton, NJ)
Copyright: 2014 The Times
Contact:  http://www.nj.com/times/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/458
Author: Phil Duran

DRUG LAWS MAKE MATTERS WORSE

I think it is just as foolish to smoke marijuana to get high as it is 
to drink alcohol to get drunk. But alcohol is legal and pot is not, 
and our jails are packed full of people who violated the pot laws. 
This doesn't make sense. As far as I can tell, the only ones who have 
benefited from our drug laws are the prison/legal industry, the drug 
pushers and the pharmaceutical companies.

So why is it that our elected leaders, including our governor and 
president, don't change these counterproductive laws that destroy 
people's lives, encourage massive corruption here and abroad and 
don't even work to stop drug use?

I wonder what on Earth could be motivating them to keep laws that we 
all know have completely failed on so many levels. It is even harder 
to understand why our government is spending massive sums of money to 
lock up people for drug-related crimes when, instead, they could be 
regulating and taxing this huge industry and spending some of the new 
revenue on drug rehab and anti-drug advertising. This way, they could 
help balance the budget; reduce drug use, prison spending and 
corruption; cut off money to domestic and foreign criminals, and let 
the many victims of our drug laws lead productive lives.

As for our elected leaders, I don't think that history will be kind 
to those who choose to ignore common sense. I will find it hard to 
vote for someone - regardless whether they have an "R" or a "D" after 
their name - if they continue to lead our country down this 
self-destructive path.

- -- Phil Duran, Lawrence
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom