WAR AGAINST OURSELVES

What if society could condemn you for smoking your favorite cigar or
drinking your favorite wine. What if you could be condemned to a prison
term for collecting China plates. I am talking about the war on drugs.

How is it that you can be sent to prison for using drugs in the privacy of
your own home, where it doesn't affect anyone or violate any other person's
rights by doing so. I thought we made laws in this country to keep from
violating other people's rights, and their right of choice. If a crime by
definition is an evil act, how can personal recreational use of drugs be a
crime against humanity.

The war on drugs is doing and stopping nothing, only using up our
hard-earned money to enforce such ridiculous laws. This country alone has
more people imprisoned on drug charges than every other country in the
world combined -- quite possibly productive people who could be out here
stimulating the stock market.

There is only one solution to this problem: the decriminalization of drugs,
which would end the black market. This is where crime against humanity and
violence are introduced into many young lives. The possibility of making
major cash influences juvenile behavior. Therefore, decriminalization would
reduce drug-related crime significantly, lowering corruption on the
streets, in the schools and even our homes.

Let's admit it, a drug like marijuana has a lot of benefits, such as
government taxes, as an alternative source for production of paper and
clothing products from hemp, even by helping terminally ill patients.
Prohibition of any substance, harmful or not, is unconstitutional.

We need to restore power to the public. The war on drugs is nothing more
than a campaign for votes. We need to stop looking down on drugs, and
accept them as part of human nature.

Justin Rhoderick
Middletown