JUDGE'S COLUMN MAY PROMPT DEBATE IN CANTON ABOUT U.S. DRUG LAWS

Editor's Note

In the closing days of December, we published an essay by Harry
Klide, the retired Stark County Common Pleas Court trial judge. In
it, he questioned the U.S. practice of locking up drug users and
sellers. He cited the high rate of imprisonment in the United States
and the failure to curtail the drug trade. He invited citizens to
become interested in this problem.

A representative from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,
headquartered in Medford, Mass., subsequently contacted Klide. If you
are interested in learning more, LEAP's Web page is:

http://leap.cc

The organization wants to come to Canton and help lead a public
discussion of ending prohibition of drugs and stopping the practice
of locking up drug users.

One of the groups Klide hopes to offer a presentation to is the
Canton Rotary. He has an April date in mind.

We will tell you more about this when the time comes. I will be
interested in seeing how this community reacts to the message of LEAP.