Dear Editor, Troy Landreville is absolutely right: it still won't be legal [It still won't be legal, Jan. 3 Comment, Langley Advance News], which means drug gangs will still make billions, the quality of any drug will still be suspect, and drug dealers will still have an incentive to predate on the youngest of our citizens. I can't speak for Mr. Landerville's experiences in Amsterdam, though I can speak for my own. I have never been robbed, assaulted, or threatened in Amsterdam. Choosing to see the Red Light district for myself, I went there at night and never felt uncomfortable or scared anywhere. [continues 83 words]
Once again, the president is trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes. Alcohol prohibition was devastating to this country, yet we ended it. Why? The cure was worse than the disease. Organized crime made the equivalent of billions off Prohibition. Drug prohibition is exactly the same. As long as drugs are illegal, organized crime and murderous drug lords will continue to make hundreds of billions of dollars worldwide. One of the greatest steps made, in substance abuse terms, is the drastic reduction in alcohol-related traffic deaths. This wasn't done by sending soldiers with Apache helicopters into Mexico to destroy tequila distilleries or cactus plants. Education is the key, not helicopters and fumigation. As long as drugs are illegal, this war will never end. Drugs don't support terrorists, prohibition does. C. Kirby, Richardson [end]
Chris Kirby, Richardson [end]
To the editor: Thank you for your inspired opinion, "Bad Combination: Don't combine wars on drugs, terror" (Jan. 2). It's nice to see that integrity and intelligence are still alive and well in the media. Chris Kirby, Dallas [end]
