Jesse Rodgers ("God does not endorse Cannabis," Mar. 1, p. 8) fails utterly to grasp the point behind Stan White's use of the Bible in defending marijuana ("Cannabis not evil," Feb. 28, p. 4). All sorts of Bible passages can be selectively interpreted, or outright ignored, to produce whatever message the interpreter desires (many Southerners in the 19th century used the Bible to justify slavery). White's point is that marijuana is a naturally occurring plant that has been declared "good" by God, along with all the other naturally occurring plants. Whether God intended people to smoke it and increase the amount of naturally occuring chemicals in the brain, also created by God, is another question. [continues 119 words]
Prohibitionists like Mr. Dateline continue to insist that the only way to legalize drugs such as cocaine and heroin is to put pretty labels on the bottles and sell them over the counter like vodka. Sure, that's one way. But how about this: We allow addicts to go to a doctor to get a prescription for whatever drug is involved, which is then filled by a pharmacist. Consider it the first step in a multi-step program: weaning the addict away from the pusher. [continues 66 words]
Your recent editorial on Colombia fails to ask one key question surrounding the violence and turmoil in that nation: Who is responsible for funding and arming the FARC? The answer is the United States government. By insisting on zero-tolerance prohibition as the only solution to this nation's drug problem, we ensure that the illegal drug trade funnels billions of dollars a year out of our economy and into the hands of revolutionaries and terrorists around the world. [continues 94 words]
Is it any surprise that crime and drug activity in Hamilton Hill picked up again after police swept the area and removed 100 or so drug dealers? Not really. It's been well documented that drug sweeps do nothing to end the drug trade. They merely replace one set of dealers with another, with a corresponding increase in violence as the new dealers fight for all that turf that is now up for grabs. It is the dealers, after all, who are responsible for the drug-related mayhem on our streets. Drug users, for the most part, only become a threat to society when the price of drugs exceeds their ability to pay for them. What drives up the price of drugs? Drug prohibition, of course. [continues 95 words]
My, don't we all feel safe now? Westerly police and countless other local, state and federal agencies dropped their regular investigations of robbery, rape and murder to conduct a drug sweep at Westerly High School last week. The school must have been awash in illegal plants and chemicals in order to justify the enormous cost of that operation, which The Day's March 29 article neglected to mention. And what did we get for this mass mobilization? One small bag of marijuana, a pipe or two and a container with "residue." I sure hope this was good practice for our law enforcement agencies. Otherwise, I would call it a colossal waste of taxpayer money. Arthur Cole Hope Valley, R.I. [end]
In response to "Let's be a good neighbor to Latin America" (Feb. 7 Viewpoint): It astounds me how rational people can bend their own arguments out of shape and end up supporting policies that would only exacerbate the situation they are attempting to correct. Such is the case with Jennifer Watson Roberts. Inserting the U.S. military into the Colombian civil war is not going to bring peace. It will only bring more bloodshed. That's because the revolutionaries are awash in so much drug money that they are better funded than the Colombian army. [continues 67 words]
Your editorial on methamphetamine was well done. Meth is a dangerous substance with a high potential for abuse. The question I am left with, however, is this: If meth is so dangerous, both in the manufacture and the use, why on earth are we leaving it in control of the black market? I am firmly convinced that all of the dangers and problems of meth that you highlighted can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, by bringing meth under federal and state regulation. [continues 190 words]
Three cheers for Robert Sharpe's "U.S. Should Follow Europe's Lead in Drug-Law Reform," [Viewpoints, Jan. 3]. It contained some of the most eloquent and revealing insights into the drug war that I have yet read. People who continue to support America's total prohibition approach should know that the drug war is the cause of much violence around the world and in our own backyards. Drug violence is fueled by the illegal drug trade, not by the drug user. Drug addicts don't run amok with automatic weapons, but shootings between street dealers are all too common. [continues 62 words]
Editor, While I agree with your recent editorial ("Prosecutor's report clears police of any wrongdoing," Jan. 9) that Tom Crosslin and Roland Rohm were ultimately to blame for their own deaths by the fact that they pointed loaded weapons at police officers during a tense situation, we must not overlook the underlying cause of the tragedy: that police, politicians and the public continue to cast marijuana smokers as criminals and dangers to society. The fact is, most marijuana smokers are decent, hard-working, tax-paying citizens who want nothing more than to be left alone. [continues 57 words]
Is drug legalization cost-free? Of course not. It will take money, resources and foresight so we don't foster the kind of nightmare scenarios forecast in John Kanelis' July 16 scare-column. But let's get to the heart of the issue. Prohibition supporters argue that the resulting crime, addiction, death, etc., caused by drug legalization would be too much for society to bear. But all of these concerns stem from a single overriding belief: that legalization will result in more users. [continues 249 words]
Drug addiction is a terrible thing. It robs people of their happiness, their livelihood, their will to live. It tears apart families, destabilizes communities and places a tremendous burden on society as a whole. America, and the world, should never relax their vigilance against drug addiction. And yet, it is becoming increasingly clear that the ongoing prohibition of narcotics has not only failed to stem the flow of drugs into our country but is now placing the life of every single U.S. citizen in jeopardy. [continues 1035 words]
