I'm pleased that the editorial "Drug legalization not child's play" was published. It means our area is concerned about this issue. We are on the same page when it comes to the bottom line: the children. Consider for a moment that most adults who smoke marijuana already have made that choice. Ask yourself: Who are you afraid of on a Friday night - the marijuana smoker or the drunken driver? Our police are busy harassing the marijuana smoker, and the drunken driver is busy having wrecks. One might think that because most counties around here are dry, the police would pay attention to all the boozers driving miles and miles to get their fix. [continues 197 words]
I'm pleased that the editorial "Drug legalization not child's play" was published. It means our area is concerned about this issue. We are on the same page when it comes to the bottom line: the children. Consider for a moment that most adults who smoke marijuana already have made that choice. Ask yourself: Who are you afraid of on a Friday night - the marijuana smoker or the drunken driver? Our police are busy harassing the marijuana smoker, and the drunken driver is busy having wrecks. One might think that because most counties around here are dry, the police would pay attention to all the boozers driving miles and miles to get their fix. [continues 201 words]
Thank you for printing the opinions of Sally Shephard, "Legal system, drug system run poorly," and Travis McBride, "Who do we 'condemn' for irresponsible behavior?" on June 2. It thrills my heart to see others realizing that we are throwing the baby out with the bath water due to our fears, ignorance, and bigotry. What we need are more people to "judge them not guilty," as in the story of Jesus and the woman accused of adultery by the Pharisees. The style of leaders is always to toss out the baby with the bath water in trying to stop harm to society. But there are many unintended consequences. The next generation is being destroyed. [continues 86 words]
In an April 7 story, Globe-News reporter Jennifer Lutz wrote, "The heady days of bootlegging and moonshine vanished long ago, but remnants of Prohibition remain. "In 1933, voters adopted the 21st Amendment, which repealed the ban on alcoholic beverages." Maybe someday, somebody will write: "The heady decades of the Drug War vanished long ago, but remnants of prohibition remain. In 2033, voters adopted the 31st Amendment, repealing drug prohibition, but the Texas Narcotic Commission still has regulatory work to do." We "have a dream," for the children, to put an end to the death, disease and incarceration caused by our nation's drug policy. Debra Cochrain Member Drug Policy Forum of Texas Fritch [end]
Ever since President Nixon first used the phrase "war on drugs" in 1972, it has become a topic of national discussion and a war of statistics. But what concerns me most is how drug abuse has become a scapegoat for many of our great nation's ills. It is merely a symptom of larger issues. For 30 years, our nation and politicians have tried many things to find an answer. But many of the answers only raise more questions. An example would be drug testing in public schools. [continues 210 words]
Thank you for printing the April 25 Associated Press story, "U.S. surveillance flights might resume over Peru," which describes the shooting down of a missionary plane and the addition of two more innocent lives lost to the drug war. Sen. Christopher Dodd blames it on our enthusiasm to stop drugs. It recently was revealed that although Peru's air force might have downed some drug traffickers, it was taking huge bribes from others to let them pass. Roger Rumrill, a Peruvian expert and author on the drug trade, called the missionary plane incident "the most absurd accident in the world" because more than 70 percent of the drug trade between Peru and Colombia now moves by sea along the Pacific Coast, not by air. [continues 82 words]
FRITCH - On Feb. 18, I decided to take a drive to Tulia and meet some people. I have been following the tale of the drug sting that occurred July 23, 1999, and I realize how lucky my family has been. I have a daughter with an addiction problem. She is about the same age as some of the "convicted felons" in the story. If the truth were known, my daughter's story is much worse, yet she was allowed probation - a short probation at that. Three years. [continues 638 words]
Recently on "Larry King Live," our new Attorney General John Ashcroft said, "Well, I want to escalate the war on drugs. I want to renew it, relaunch it if you will." More than 10 years ago, federal officials boldly claimed they would create a "drug-free world" by 1995. Congress has spent billions on police, prosecutors, drug courts and prisons. Despite millions of arrests and countless seizures, illegal drugs are as readily available today as ever before. Like alcohol prohibition, drug prohibition has created more problems than it has solved. In 1972 when President Nixon launched the war on drugs, the federal budget for the drug war was about $101 million. This year it will be more than $19.2 billion. [continues 217 words]
