WAR AGAINST THE EVIL OF DRUGS MUST CONTINUE

Many people are saying we should end the "failed drug war." The logic goes
something like this: There has been a war on drugs, but drugs are still
around, so obviously the war has failed. Besides, drug use is a victimless
crime, and drug users need rehabilitation, not jail time.

There are many problems with these arguments. First, the idea that the
continued existence of drug abuse means that the drug war must have failed
is poor reasoning. There is no telling what the rate of abuse would be if
law enforcement weren't fighting the drug trade. Also, the logic of the
"failed war" argument could be extended to say the continued existence of
cancer means the flght against that disease has failed and therefore should
be abandoned.

Next, drug use is not a victimless crime. In addition to all the victims of
crimes committed by people under the influence of drugs, the user himself is
a victim.

I have no problem with people arrested for drug use being sent to rehab
programs. But I do not believe that drug arrests should be excluded from
criminal records or that drug use should be viewed as a personal mistake and
not a crime.

My main reason for opposing calls to end the drug war is simple: Drugs are
evil. I know that today it is not fashionable to talk about such an absolute
moral term as evil. And it is seen to be especially foolish to apply that
term to inanimate chemicals. However, I stand by my belief that drugs are
evil.

Drug addicts lie, cheat and steal to support their habits. Drug use destroys
friendships and rips apart families. People under the influence of drugs do
things they never would under normal circumstances. Dealers know what they
are selling is poison, but they continue to sell because of greed and lust
for power. Drug addiction takes over a person's life and controls his
actions just as much as any demon from myth. If these are not elements of
evil, then nothing is.

The flght against drugs is not easy, but it is a just cause. There will
always be drug use, but that does not mean we are defeated. We may never be
able to claim final victory in the war, but that does not mean we should
surrender.