I must agree with Richard Rawlings, a war on drugs seems to be a futile effort (Northern Star Forum, July 8). I have seen first hand the effects of drugs on hard-core abusers, but I have also witnessed the harmless effects on casual users. Although I neither encourage nor condone recreational drug use, the attempt to halt all users is frankly an unreasonable proposal.

It is my belief that it is wrong for anyone to control minor drugs. We view drug use as an awful sin because society has labeled it as "low class" or immoral, but intrinsically, it is only wrong because we are programmed from birth to believe so. Values do not exist; they are created by the human mind's imagination. Why do you think outside cultures hold such varied standards? Each society tells us what is right or wrong, what is unacceptable, and what we should immediately believe because, dog-gone-it! our society is truly and obviously the accurate one.

[continues 281 words]