Pubdate: Sun, 08 Aug 1999
Source: Columbian, The (WA)
Copyright: 1999 The Columbian Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.columbian.com/
Forum: http://www.webforums.com/forums/trace/host/msa70.html

MAY WE STOP THE DRUG WAR?

Dear Editor,

Recently, I've been reading reports about the United States Government and
how it is advocating another injection of tax dollars to the Columbian
government for anti-drug war efforts.

Government speak:  "We need more cops.  We need to spend more money. Bigger
bureaucracy.  Build more prisons.  Send more foreign aid to here or there.
Create harsher drug laws.  Sentence people longer so it'll send a message
to the "children".  Does uncle sam really care about the children?

When are Americans to wake up?  We "allow" the federal government to spend
in excess of $18 billion dollars a year fighting a war against inanimate
objects. A war declared by our government on an object or objects that
cannot by any definition, think on their own behalf, have no intelligence
or decision making abilities.

To further scrutinize, the War on Drugs isn't a war on drugs at all. It's a
money making buisness.  A 30 years ago, President Nixon declared war
against marihuana in the 1970's.  President Reagan hopped on board and
created the Drug Abuse Act in 1988 which doubled manditory minimums,
increased spending and took away even more rights from the American people.
 The results in this war are not impressive by any measure.

Prisons are exploding.  Hard drugs are as readily available on the street
corner to any child as ever before.  Now retired general Barry McCaffrey is
propagandizing Columbia is in a "desperate" crisis, that we should jump
into the civil war to curb importation of drugs into America.  Vietnam?
Smells akin to it.

Lastly, I have two questions.  General Barry McCaffrey and the D.E.A. are
policy enforcers.  As I last checked, they are not authorized to practice
medicine.  Is it not the educated Harvard graduate physician that retains
the expertise on the "authority" to which medical marihuana/patient issue
resides?    In addition, numerous physician assocations support medical
cannabis, including the American Medical Association. It is not federal
law.  It is Constitutionally guaranteed California state law, of the
people, for the people, by the people, voted in favor by 56% of the people.

How much money and resources are we, as nation, in the name on the War on
Drugs, going to allow before we no longer have any freedoms, are left empty
handed with the same or worse situation than we have now? End prohibition.
Regulate drugs. It's the only way to guarantee Constitutional freedoms and
the only way to keep drugs out of hands of children.

Scott Dykstra

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