NEW DRUG POLICY

My goal is to get Congress' attention with more than a million voters'
requests to delegate to the 50 states authority to control illegal drugs.
That's how we repealed Prohibition.

Today's national drug-control strategy is no-win. Direct annual costs are
$19.2 billion plus $18.9 billion for 10 heavily involved federal
departments. Police confiscate money and property from people not charged
with a crime. We've put half a million nonviolent people in prison. We're
funding both sides of the Colombian war!

President Bush needs to lead us back to controls that are closer to the
people. His father said in 1991, "If we've learned anything in the past
quarter-century, it is that we cannot federalize virtue."

With state control of drugs, some would authorize marijuana. Some would use
Swiss-type controls of hard drugs that reduced crimes by hard-drug users
from 69 percent to 10 percent. Some states would continue to fight the war
on drugs until they note how better policies can reduce crime.

One percent of Marilyn vos Savant's 180 million adult Parade readers could
demand that Congress delegate drug policy to the 50 states. That would move
drug policy closer to the people.

Please help me put more thrust in this draft letter. Call 651-1739 or
e-mail to chosmer@emcst.

CLARK HOSMER

Shalimar