OXYCONTIN PROVES CASE AGAINST DRUG LEGALIZATION

Here's the theory: If certain drugs were legalized and regulated, then
crime relating to illegal drugs would diminish. Gangs would not fight wars
over drugs available in the legitimate marketplace. The relevant agencies
would monitor distribution. Safeguards applying to prescription drugs would
apply to the newly legalized narcotics.

Everyone might live happily ever after, too.

Here's a fact: OxyContin is a legal drug. It offers relief from pain and
can be obtained only by prescription. And it is being abused.

This is not the place to argue OxyContin's merits. The point is that
OxyContin's status as a drug that is legal and regulated has not prevented
its abuse. The misuse of OxyContin leads to behavior that is criminal and
self-destructive.

The demand from areas where OxyContin's abuse is rife is not for the
government to make a legal drug more accessible but for the government to
restrict it still further.

Legality has not prevented tragedy. Perhaps the sad story teaches a lesson.