DRUGS FUNDED TERRORISTS

To the editor:

Now, perhaps more than ever, there is an even stronger case for changing
our government's position in the "War On Drugs."

In addition to disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of non-violent
citizens, wasting our tax dollars on programs that get larger and deliver
fewer results each year, and helping the spread of corruption among our
police officers, prohibition of marijuana and other substances creates a
black market, which is an easy source of funding for terrorists.

Yes, that's right. Terrorists profit directly from America's "War on
Drugs." They grow crops and sell them at the black market's outrageously
inflated prices.

That's exactly what the Taliban was doing until this year when George
Dubbya handed [them] more than 40 million dollars to coax them to stop
[Editor's note: see the news story "Spreading rumors," on page 6 of this
issue]. They destroyed the crops, but how much do you want to bet they will
start right up after Bush pulls any future funding?

Ending "The War On Drugs" would remove the threat of prison from people who
don't belong there, generate tax dollars that aren't there now, and pull
money right out of terrorists' pockets.

Christopher Palkow,

Norfolk, Va