DRUG LAWS ARE TOO LENIENT, NOT TOO STRICT

THE THING that caught my attention most when I read John Levy's essay (Feb.
24, "Illegal drugs are driving America crazy") was how he has blurred the
line between victim and villain.

No doubt, the "dream" is only in his imagination. For had it actually
occurred, it would have been somewhat more believable.

From this dream, he has absolved the individual from all responsibilities
for causing his own demise. He also injected into his essay class envy,
social engineering and a contempt for established law. Yet, he wants more
laws passed - laws that would achieve little in fixing the problems in his
dream.

Never mind the terrible scourge that alcohol, tobacco and, especially,
illegal drugs have had in wreaking havoc on millions of young Americans. He
would have many of these illegal drugs made legal. He doesn't elaborate on
which ones should be legalized. Would it be marijuana, crack cocaine, LSD
or something much worse?

Listen to Levy's argument: Only the government can solve America's drug and
alcohol problems.

The push for legalization of presently illegal drugs is coming from several
advocacy groups. But mostly it is coming from liberal Democrats. Their
outcry is that the drug war would be more humane and manageable if these
illegal drugs were made legal, as are alcohol and tobacco.

Would Levy be suggesting a need for another amendment to the U.S.
Constitution to achieve this? Does he believe that we would have less crime
in the streets, alleyways and neighborhoods of America's cities if these
drugs become legal?

Remember, condescending elitists from these groups always know what's in
our best interest. They think that because a person is poor, that person
innately lacks the ability to care for himself. We poor folks have known
for a long time that alcohol, drugs and tobacco are bad choices. We're not
all stupid.

Levy seems to have an insatiable appetite to hunt down another victim and
read him his rights. His villains are never lawbreakers. He claims those in
prisons, his pseudo-victims, those who have violated the drug laws, are
being held as prisoners of war.

What a misuse of the acronym (POW)! It's bad enough to say that society has
put them behind bars, but to put these common criminals on par with
professional soldiers who were captured in battle while defending our
country is the height of insult.

Society is to blame because our laws are too harsh. These laws are obeyed
by an overwhelming majority of the population, and until they are changed
through the legal process, they remain the law of the land. Obviously, they
did very little in controlling the use, or misuse, of the beverage.

After awakening from his dubious dream, Levy's reality quickly becomes as
convoluted as his subconscious. Heaven forbid, that line between victim and
villain is still just as blurred.

For crimes committed, he says that the rich kid goes to see the
psychiatrist, and the poor kid goes to see the judge and then to jail. He
doesn't mention the fact that the law has been broken in both cases. In all
candor, jail is probably the best place to separate these two addicts from
their illegal substance and rampage of crime.

His argument should be that the law is too lax for the rich kid. Instead,
he plays it the other way - the law is too harsh on the poor kid. The same
money the rich kid used to pay for his illegal drugs is no doubt money from
the same source that sent him to see a shrink, bought him some Prozac, and
then retained a good lawyer to escape punishment. For the rich and poor
alike, jail is certainly the best place for those who choose to become
lawbreakers.

The drug war in America isn't failing because the laws are too strict, but
because the laws are too lenient. If meaningful change is to be made in the
nation's drug war, we must rid ourselves of the notion that a drug user is
a more noble character than a drug supplier or pusher. In jail, as in
society, they're all first cousins.

No one has to be a victim of drug addiction, or any other addiction for
that matter. It is to be hoped that those still trapped in the world of
drug dependency will find their pathway to a more dignified, productive and
healthful life.