DECISION TIME

Dear editor,

It's decision time.

It seems that we have a choice of living with violence and drugs or just
drugs. We've been living with drugs and violence for at least 20 years.
We've broken up cartels; we've smashed distribution rings, but to what
avail? We've arrested millions of Americans, we've spent billions upon
billions of dollars, but drugs are as cheap and as pure as they have ever been.

I fail to see what has been accomplished other than building a prison
industrial complex. The land of the free and the home of the brave has 25
percent of the world's prisoners with only 5 percent of the world's population.

Let's put every drug dealer out of business tomorrow! Legalize drugs and
they virtually become worthless. Get what you need at the local pharmacy
for $5 instead of $100 from the dealer.

At this point we will stand a chance of actually keeping the drugs out of
our children's hands. The pharmacy can ask for identification. When do you
think the last drug dealer asked for an ID? He couldn't care less. Start
them young, the younger the better.

With the drug dealer gone, who is going to actively market the drugs? You
can bet that advertising won't be allowed! Our children need IDs to
purchase alcohol or tobacco, but none is required for cocaine or heroine.
Isn't that twisted?

If we had invested all these billions of dollars into education instead of
the drug war, wouldn't we be better off? Our nation's motto could have been
"Educate the Children"; instead, we chose "Incarcerate our Children."

Do it for the children. Legalize drugs and stop the violence.

Rich Rytter

Pinos Altos