MAKE DRUG USE LEGAL

John English (letters, April 10) believes that continued rigid legal
prohibition of marijuana will save our children. But if it remains illegal,
then it will continue to be sold illegally without constraints. It is
certainly easier for a child to buy pot than legal cigarettes (which will
harm many more kids than pot), so it seems very clear then that to keep pot
illegal only makes it more accessible to kids.

In case English is unaware, we long ago lost the "war on drugs."

Further, English's grasp of the economics of the dope trade is flawed. He
says "dope dealers," among others, want legalization. The absolute worst
disaster that could befall all phases of the illegal trade would be
legalization. An ounce of pot would go from $300 to $20. If done legally,
about $100 would produce enough heroin to keep all of Oregon's heroin users
home and on the nod for months. Thus, legalization would end a
multibillion-dollar, never-taxed currency drain, bring an unprecedented
drop in property and drug-related violent crime. It would lower the cost of
law enforcement, reduce court proceedings and end the staggering expense of
incarceration of drug offenders.

English rejects as deluded the hundreds of thousands of Americans who
represent all strata of society and who fervently believe that pot benefits
them in the treatment and management of a broad spectrum of maladies. The
chemically made stuff doesn't work. Ask anyone who's tried. Many
"scientific studies" were performed and funded by those with agendas.

To save our children, we must end ignorance, denial and failed policies and
acknowledge our problems with legal drugs, alcohol, nicotine,
over-the-counter and mis-prescribed drugs to be equal to, if not exceeding,
those of the illegal variety.

TOM RADABAUGH
Springfield