ILLEGAL-DRUG WAR WILL END IN DEFEAT

I'm writing about John DiMambro's column: "Carson City's drug war will
be long and deadly" (2-11-07). I'll make another prediction about
Carson City's drug war: It will be a complete waste of time, money and
effort.

Ninety years ago, all types of recreational drugs were legally
available in local pharmacies for pennies per dose.

Ninety years ago, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. That's
because drugs like pure pharmaceutical-grade Bayer heroin sold for
about the same price as Bayer aspirin.

Ninety years ago, drug users and drug addicts didn't have to rob,
steal, or commit acts of prostitution to obtain their drugs of choice.

Ninety years ago, deaths from recreational drugs were very rare.
That's because the drugs were of known quality, known purity and known
potency. That's just the opposite of the black market drugs of today.

Since the vast majority of all of our violent crime and property crime
is caused not by drugs, but rather our by our drug-prohibition
policies, the common-sense solution is to re-legalize all of our
now-illegal drugs. Then the drugs can be sold in legal, regulated and
licensed business establishments.

Then drug dealers as we know them today will disappear for economic
reasons. Then our so-called "drug-related crime" will be in our past -
not our future.

When alcohol Prohibition was terminated it was not because they
decided that alcohol was not so bad after all, but because of the
crime and corruption that Prohibition caused. When alcohol Prohibition
was terminated in 1933, the U.S. murder rate declined for 10
consecutive years.

Have we learned any lessons?

Not yet.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.