The Sun's front-page article "Police break up east-side drug ring"
(Sept. 7) quoted police Commissioner Edward T. Norris saying, "We've
made quite a dent in the East Baltimore drug trade."

A "dent" is the perfect metaphor, because a dent does not hinder a car
from running, but only makes it uglier.

Other dealers will now shoot it out for the turf of the arrested
dealers. Innocent people may be killed in the crossfire. The supply of
drugs having temporarily gone down, the price will go up.

When the price goes up, addicts will commit more muggings and
burglaries to pay for their habits and the residents of Baltimore will
suffer.

We saw this all before with alcohol prohibition, and we've now been
putting dents in the drug trade for more than 30 years. It's time to
repeal drug prohibition.

Henry Cohen,
Baltimore