Source: Toronto Star (Canada) Pubdate: Thursday, 23, July 1998 Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Author: Craig M.F. Jones, Kingston TOO MUCH AT STAKE TO CHANGE DRUG LAWS We should congratulate ourselves for contributing to the creation of the hugely successful, hugely profitable, Caruana crime empire (14 face drug charges in widespread raids, July 16). After all, our pig-headed resistance to reforming our drug laws has created the conditions in which narco-sharks have proliferated and thrived. Drug money laundering has become a global enterprise. No sooner is the money off the streets than it is recycled into legitimate businesses acting as fronts for the crime organizations. Everyone wins: The banks get their cut, the drug barons grow fat and police forces can legitimately claim they need more resources. Cutting off the flow of funds, by reforming our drug laws and ending our absurd prohibition, would make a substantial dent in the global black market. But with untaxed profits in the billions of dollars on the line -- not to mention the budgets of enforcement agencies -- don't expect changes soon. There's too much at stake. - --- Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"