PROHIBITION WON'T STOP ADDICTION

Re: "Christians Must Join Fight Against Drug Addiction," Wednesday, July
18: Letter to the editor writer Beulah Shortridge called on Christians to
"band together and continue to petition God for direction in this matter."
Ms. Shortridge also said, "Those who deal in drugs and supply this 'living
death' to our people must be stopped!" Fighting addiction is different than
stopping people who deal in drugs. Alcohol prohibition did nothing to fight
addiction, just as narcotics prohibition has failed to prevent addicts from
becoming addicted. However, if we band together and target all the money
raised in taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and regulated narcotics, perhaps we
can allow the addicts to pay for their own treatment. With the money raised
for the purpose of reducing the harm these drugs cause and by urging the
public, based on legitimate health risks, rather than scare tactics, to
refrain from self destructive behavior we can maximize public safety.

The liquor store owner should not be stopped, drug dealing under
prohibition can't be stopped, but, prohibition can be stopped. Instead of
criminal regulation, the most destructive of all, why not have public
regulation as we now have for liquor and tobacco.

Those who believe in the Judeo-Christian ethic "Love thy neighbor as
thyself" would never believe that prohibition was loving if it subsidized
criminals, destroyed public safety, created gangsterism, fostered racism,
undermined the bill of rights, overcrowded the prisons, and overburdened
the courts.

Besides, if you can't keep drugs out of prison, how are you going to keep
it off the street corner without a tyranny more oppressive than prison
itself? Prohibition isn't about love, Christianity, or public safety. It's
about hate.

Chris Wright

Minneapolis, Minn.