WAR ON DRUGS BETTER THAN LEGALIZATION

To the Editor:

In the Dec. 3 edition of your paper there was a letter from an
"Apologist" against drug prohibition stating that: "Drug use is bad,
but the drug war is worse."

The Legalization Lobby claims that the fight against drugs cannot be
won. However, in the U.S., overall drug use is down by more than
one-third in the last 20 years, while cocaine use has dropped by an
astounding 70 per cent. [An alleged] Ninety-five per cent of
Americans do not use drugs. This is success by any standards.

Crime, violence and drug use go hand in hand.

Six times as many homicides are committed by people under the
influence of drugs, as those who are looking for money to buy drugs.

Fact: most drug crimes aren't committed by people trying to pay for
drugs; they're committed by people on drugs. Only about five per cent
of inmates in federal prison are there because of simple possession.
Most drug criminals are in jail, even on possession charges, because
they have plea-bargained down from major trafficking offences or more
violent crimes.

"The apologists also state that dollars are wasted in anti-drug
efforts: But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly
wasted dollars. Moreover, our fight against drug abuse and addiction
is an ongoing struggle that should be treated like any other social problem.

Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven't
eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse
and addiction -- whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering
- -- government spending on drug control is minimal.

The Legalization Lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than
alcohol. But drunk driving is one of the primary killers of North Americans.

Do we want our bus drivers, nurses, and airline pilots to be able to
take drugs one evening, and operate freely at work the next day? Do
we want to add to the destruction by making drugged driving another
primary killer?

I was recently contacted by a pro-marijuana individual who compared
my stand that "marijuana is a dangerous drug" to him telling me "that
the earth is flat." There is proof that the earth is round, there is
also proof that marijuana is a dangerous drug.

Who should we believe about the danger of drugs? Researchers who are
concerned about the health of a nation or users who feel that they
have something to gain by the legalization of drugs? I would side
with the researchers who are looking after our health.

If it is felt that marijuana must be used for medical reasons, there
is a safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active
ingredient of THC. This has been studied and approved by the FDA in
the USA as a safe medicine.

The difference is that you have to get a prescription from a licenced
physician. You can't buy it on a street corner, and you don't smoke it.

Eric Myrholm

Abbotsford, B.C.