DRUG WAR DOESN'T ADD UP

Jim High-tower's column, "It's not a war on weed, it's a war on
people," (AC-T, Aug. 4), on marijuana, is right on the mark. Our
government spends an enormous amount of money each year prosecuting
and incarcerating people that smoke an expensive weed. The only
reason it's expensive is because the U.S. government (prodded by
Randolph Hearst, but that's another story) made it illegal back in
1937. Nowadays anyone can make lots of money (until they get busted)
selling a crummy weed.

People who smoke pot do not cause nearly as many problems as people
who drink. Unfortunately, they occupy valuable prison space. I would
rather see the government spending my money keeping muggers,
murderers and CEOs behind bars. These folks purposefully hurt other
people. Dope smokers pretty much only hurt themselves (although, not
nearly as often as people that smoke cigarettes).

If the government wanted to truly fight crime, they would
decriminalize all profitable illicit drugs, tax the heck out of them
and offer free drug treatment to any who actually want to quit. The
math alone tells the story. If a junkie has a $800 a day habit, due
to a drug being illegal, that would become a $20 a day habit if decriminalized.

He could work at McDonalds and support his habit, and like it, too.
People could go down to the ABC store and pick up some TooT Sweet, a
beer and a pack of Acapulco Gold Filters and help pay off Uncle Sam's
enormous tax debt. It's a win-win scenario.

I know that some people would probably kill themselves doing too many
cheap drugs, but they would be doing it to themselves. I would rather
have my tax dollars helping to support the family they leave behind
than keeping a non-violent drug abuser locked up. A guy has to break
a lot of laws to support an expensive drug habit.

Riddle me this: when was the last time you heard of a man breaking
into a house to steal something to sell to get some money to buy a
bottle of booze?

He might break into a liquor store for the liquor, and they have
great insurance. When they repealed Prohibition, crime on the streets
dropped a lot.

As more substances were made illegal, crime rose. I have worked many
years in psychiatric and jail settings.

Many of the public defenders agree that drugs should be decriminalized.

Do the math. We should decriminalize all illicit drugs and take to
profit away from the bad guys.

Pat Orsban is a registered nurse. He lives in Fairview.