LEGALIZING DRUGS IS BEST WAY TO COMBAT CRIME

I'm writing about David McAllister's column "Drug war overhaul" (SN
2/27). I agree that the drug war needs a major overhaul; however,
eliminating poverty will not eliminate drug use.

Marijuana is used by all social and economic groups. For most
marijuana users, even daily users, marijuana use is not a problem --
unless the users get arrested.

The main problem with marijuana is that it is illegal.

Caffeine is a drug and, like marijuana, it is used by all social and
economic groups. Since it is not illegal, no one gets arrested for
using or selling the product. And those addicted almost never require
treatment or therapy.

The main problem with all of our illegal drugs is that they are
illegal. Because certain (politically selected) drugs are illegal,
they are of unknown quality, unknown purity and unknown potency --
just like alcohol was when it was illegal. And just like alcohol when
it was illegal, illegal drugs are unregulated, untaxed and controlled
by criminal gangs.

Almost 100 percent of our so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by
the fact that certain drugs are illegal.

Imagine if we had no "drug-related crime." Imagine if our overall
crime rate were a small fraction of our current crime rate.

We once had such a situation here in the United States. Prior to the
passage of the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914, the term "drug-related
crime" didn't exist. And drug lords, drug cartels or even drug
dealers as we know them today didn't exist, either.

Back then, all types of recreational drugs were legally sold to
anybody with no questions asked for pennies per dose in grocery
stores and pharmacies. Did we have a lot more drug addicts then
compared to now? No. We had about the same percentage of our
population addicted to drugs, according to U.S. federal Judge John L.
Kane of Colorado.

For the sake of our children, can we relegalize our now-illegal drugs
and sell them in licensed business establishments? This would put the
drug dealers and drug lords out of business overnight.

And this would eliminate the lure of the "forbidden fruit" that makes
drugs so attractive to children.

Kirk Muse

Resident of Mesa, Ariz.