Pubdate: Tue, 07 Jun 2016 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2016 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.thewest.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495 Author: Sol Bell CHANGE WAR ON DRUGS Drug prohibition costs the nation billions of dollars a year in crime prevention, not including the untold cost of overdose, family trauma and overcrowded prisons. To legalise all drugs, let government laboratories manufacture under strict quality control and distribute through pharmacies. This will reduce accidental overdose deaths due to impure quality. Provide drugs at the price of tobacco and crime will fall. It will clear courts and empty jails, saving millions of dollars and reducing the costs of social security, which provides the families with support while the breadwinner is in prison. Also, the tax will provide money for a negative advertising campaign that has been so effective in reducing tobacco use. The war on drugs has been lost. Let's try a new approach. Sol Bell, Ellenbrook - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom