FUNDING THE WAR ON DRUGS WON'T STOP THE CARNAGE

Violent crime in Baltimore: When does the killing stop? The killing will
stop when we sell drugs in the grocery stores.

We had the killing in the streets during Prohibition. It stopped when
President Franklin Roosevelt signed the amendment that ended Prohibition.

John S. Angevine, Baltimore
---------------------

With all due respect to the writer of the letter "Coast Guard needs means to
fight drug smuggling" (Nov. 27) and the U.S. Coast Guard, the money they
propose to fight a drug war we cannot win would be better spent developing
solutions to help people enslaved by drugs.

How many billions will we spend before coming to the obvious conclusion: The
war on drugs is over, and the good guys lost?

How many hopeless addicts will be caged in prisons? How many dedicated
police officers will be buried -- their families left grieving and
embittered?

Prohibition is not the answer. It didn't work in the 1920s and it won't work
now.

Sonny Church, Fallston