GREED, NOT LAW, ISSUE WITH DRUGS

I find it difficult to understand the rationale people use to support
legalizing drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. I agree that
"we" have a huge problem with disease and social issues as a result of
the use of street drugs, but I do not understand how an argument can
be made that it is the fault of a society that has kept the drug trade
as an illegal activity.

Alcohol (beer, wine, liquor etc) is also a drug, but it seems to have
some degree of social acceptance and is legal to consume within the
boundaries of our laws. Has that made alcohol any less of a problem?

Do we not have groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and MADD? Why do
these exist if alcohol is not a problem? How much of our police
resources are used in dealing with alcohol-related problems? Why
should a mother and her child(ren) be exposed to drunken people and
vomit at a Canada Day celebration?

Perhaps if our society can ever get the alcohol problem under control,
it might be time to consider legalizing other drugs such as cannabis,
cocaine, crack cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. With some folks' logic,
that should signal the end to childhood prostitution, AIDS, broken
homes, and people who have nothing else in life except an addiction to
feed.

No matter if this stuff is illegal or controlled by the government,
greed is still going to rule supreme.

JOHN NOAKES

Kamloops