Pubdate: Sun, 19 Dec 1999
Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Copyright: 1999 Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  400 W. Colfax, Denver, CO 80204
Website: http://www.denver-rmn.com/
Author: Mark A. Cottrell

PROHIBITION DIDN'T WORK, DRUG WAR WON'T EITHER

What concerns me the most about the shooting of Ismael Mena during a
no-knock raid on his Denver home is why we are doing such searches at all?
For the sake of the "war on drugs", we are trashing the Constitution,
destroying people's lives, killing innocent people and spending billions of
dollars a year on a "war" we cannot win.

The most destructive drug we have is alcohol. Yet we found during
Prohibition that making something illegal only increases the crime and
violence associated with it. It didn't work for alcohol and it certainly
isn't working for drugs. If drugs are legalized, the crime will diminish
considerably.

there are consequences from drug use, but these are minor compared to the
damage we do to society by trying to enforce laws that will not work.

Mark A Cottrell
Westminster
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