Michael D. Cutler's Aug. 6 column, "An opportunity for Edwards to lead," is a well thought-out article. However, I believe a politician's position on the drug war is a leading indicator of his character, or lack thereof. This would be a good shot for John Edwards to at least talk about the war over here vs. the war over there. Well, this will not happen because we have a panel of cowards on the Democratic as well as the Republican side. [continues 53 words]
Re "AWOL in the real drug war," Opinion, March 24 Arianna Huffington is on the money and exposes what this country is all about. Whites would not put up with sending their children to prison on outrageous drug charges. We are long overdue in having a real conversation on race and class as it applies to our criminal justice system. Americans are basically misinformed or lack courage. Whatever the case, we look like a dog chasing its tail. Let us be smart and bring these drugs inside of the law. This will make life better for all of us. Clifford Wallace Thornton, Jr. Hartford, Conn. The writer leads a drug policy reform group, Efficacy. [end]
To the editor: "Now is time to head off drug scourge" (Advocate editorial, Dec. 9) is yet another example of the insanity by our authorities in a long line of insane acts. Let us not forget alcohol, cannabis, heroin, cocaine and the success we had with keeping these drugs off the street. Now, methamphetamine. The authorities are using the same tactics to combat meth as they used with all the other illegal drugs. Yet there are more drugs at cheaper prices on our streets than ever before. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. [continues 169 words]
The article "Old Greens, Green Dems" [April 27] misinforms the public yet again about drugs and what is said. "Thornton is as Green as they come, calling for the decriminalization of cannabis, which, he says, would free up $200 million for the state to spend on education and health care"this statement is partially incorrect. I call for the legalization of cannabis, not decriminalization. I have made it perfectly clear where I stand on all illegal drugs. Your staff seems as "green as they come" when discussing the issue of illegal drugs and in the process misleading the public. The media continually misconstrue the terms legalization, medicalization and decriminalization . Each term would have a different effect if applied separately. (America coins phrases or words that mean different things to the rest of the world. Does "reverse discrimination" mean anything to you? The rest of the world understands it to mean no discrimination at all.) [continues 206 words]
The Dec. 28 article "Police: 'Nosy' Mom Foils Drug Deal" [Connecticut section] is another in a long line of stories about the so-called war on drugs. Of the more than 1.7 million drug arrests this year, more than 700,000 will be for marijuana. Hundreds of thousands of those arrested will be under the age of 18. Why do we continue to give our children unlimited access to this drug and then punish them for obtaining it? After almost a century of prohibition of this drug, it is still so popular, but we as parents continue to believe it is not. Why do we still say we are being smart on crime when we are actually being stupid on crime? Why do we think our young people are stupid? [continues 109 words]
As the war on drugs caused an exodus of legitimate business from inner cities, a vacuum was created. In that vacuum lay fertile ground to guarantee the proliferation of the illegal drug trade. The war on drugs has been a self-defeating policy. It is a fraud that will never end until its insanity is understood. The drug war is supported by three major factors: greed; fear; and racism. All of these results in unequal treatment based either directly or indirectly on race, class or white privilege. The drug war opposes two basic principles of life, human nature and economics. [continues 728 words]
Alan Prendergast's article is so on the money. The "war on drugs" has always been a war on the African, native and Latino communities. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Insanity is having the same people at the table who created this mess. Insanity is believing the aboveground economy can compete with the underground economy when, through the strategy of drug prohibition and the war on drugs, we have made these drugs worth more than gold. Insanity is AmeriKKKa's war on drugs. Great piece. Hartford, Connecticut [end]
To the editor: We have had almost nine decades of drug prohibition, over three decades of the war on drugs, we have spent almost a trillion dollars, and yet we have more drugs at cheaper prices on our streets than ever before. This country represents five percent of the world's population but 25 percent of world's prison population. We have more people in prison than France, Germany, Japan, England, and Spain combined. Almost 70 percent of the prison population is there for drug-related charges. [continues 317 words]
Kathleen Parker's Aug. 6 Other Opinion column, "In Drug War, Honesty Is Best Policy" [about actress Barbara Eden's appearance on "Larry King Live," where she discussed her views on drugs and her son's death from a heroin overdose], highlighted the insanity of the drug war. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Thirty-five years ago, when I lost my mother to an apparent heroin overdose, I was where Eden is today. Back then, there weren't mountains of data that say that what we are doing doesn't have a chance of succeeding. [continues 165 words]
During and after the years of slavery, there was a great bond among African-Americans. There was love and respect for one another based on common experience. This brotherhood/sisterhood,has sadly diminished in the last two decades. The drug war is the insidious cause of the cultural retrogression. It has succeeded because minorities have embraced the war. Deliberate or not, the drug war is an ingenious 'divide and conquer' scheme. It is so brilliant that most people support it as it tears society, freedom, and democracy apart. [continues 766 words]
