The United States is the largest financial contributor in support of the world drug trade and "drug wars." The lives of many American soldiers and law enforcement officers are being sacrificed uselessly. A fraction of the investment used properly would all but eliminate the demand. Any other intervention focus is a silly charade. The same is true of illegal immigration. Don Boone [end]
As Long As There's Demand Regarding the syndicated column, "America's war on drugs is creating more violence and making big-time traffickers richer," (AC-T, Feb. 19), by Froma Harrop: Harrop provides a very clear view of the reality of the illegal drug problems and also provides a most cost-effective solution. I agree that the trade is so lucrative that removing availability is an absurd and useless expenditure which also creates violence. The illegal drug trade will continue to flourish until the demand is removed. The same is true of illegal immigration. Don Boone, Asheville [end]
Our country does have problems with illegal drugs, and our attempts to fix the problems have been totally unsuccessful. These problems, however, pale in the face of the much greater prescription drug fiasco which is only separated by different cartels, pushers and a more accepting society. The consumers are the same and vulnerable for the same reasons. It is obvious that our legislative groups are relatively impotent in dealing with either the prescription or the illegal drug problems and for essentially the same reasons. All are afraid to confront the issues. We use the war on illegal drugs to support the addicted and protect sick political countries. We attempt to relate to prescription drug overuse without proper controls for the drug companies, the over-prescribing physicians or the drug dependent patients. [continues 77 words]
I believe that lessons in reality are far more valuable than the civic lessons suggested in your editorial, "Mandatory drug testing of students a poor civics lesson," (AC-T, March 24), objecting to random drug testing in our schools. You have joined forces with the other ill-informed who have helped to maintain and support our growing drug problem. If education was the cure for the problem, we would not have drug issues within the medical profession or at the Air Force Academy and the millions spent for education through the "war on drugs" would have been more than a dismal failure. [continues 114 words]
