LEGALIZING DRUGS WILL SAVE LIVES

Although this past election year was most unconventional, one
unconventional issue was ignored by all of the presidential candidates: the
legalization of drugs. The legalization of heroin would make its use more
sanitary and drastically reduce the number of AIDS cases in the country.
AIDS is a major drag on our health care system, and all people would
benefit in terms of reduced health care costs, not to mention the lives
that would be saved through access to clean needles. Furthermore, heroin
use would be regulated by the health care profession. People who might
normally die of accidental overdoses could instead check themselves into a
clinic and have the heroin administered under the watchful eye of a health
care professional.

The so-called war on drugs has been largely unsuccessful, yet politicians
won't admit it. The dollars spent on drug enforcement could be better used
in drug education programs that would discourage the use of drugs among our
nation's youth.

Moreover, the tax revenues from legalized marijuana would be astronomical.

John Christopher

West Hartford