CRIME PROBLEM IS PROHIBITION

Chad Skelton does a great job of perpetuating the myth of drug crime (The
four-per-centers: our real crime problem, Aug. 19). It is the drug laws
that generate all the crime.

"Control language and you control mankind," said George Orwell. To control
what drug a man may put in his body it is necessary to control what ideas a
man may put in his head. The language of the "drug problem" is a legislated
lie. The theory of addiction has never been proven.

The chief psychiatric disorder before addiction came along to take its
place was masturbatory insanity. The best minds in science, in medicine and
in the media believed in that myth as well. Addictions are culturally
conditioned stigmatizing terms.

Addiction is a moral judgment, not medical diagnosis.

Thanks for letting us see all the pain and suffering the true victims of
drug prohibition suffer when drug-law related crime knocks on their door.
The sooner we end drug prohibition the sooner vice will no longer be
counted in crime statistics.

Chris Buors, Winnipeg

It has been concluded that drug addicts cause a major amount of criminal
activity harming innocent people.

The debate would be put into clearer focus if our members of Parliament had
their houses broken into and trashed, their cars stolen, not forgetting to
add to the mix a dose of violence, terror and fear for their lives.

Maybe then our legislators will find the solution to alleviating the
problem that emanates from that source: Government controlled free drugs to
addicts. Otherwise this horrible story will never end, something everyone
seems to know except for our "duly elected".

For shame.

Bessie Luteyn, Vancouver

So let's get this one straight: A juvenile offender is put in a cell with
hardened criminals, and instead of being rehabilitated, he is turned into a
career criminal because someone can't keep highly addictive, illegal drugs
out of a prison?

It seems that you should do something with the justice system. They're
creating government jobs, when instead, they should be working toward
putting themselves out of business. Taking prohibition into consideration,
do you think a registered addict with a maintenance prescription would need
to steal to support a habit if his drugs were paid for?

It's less expensive than warehousing them in jail, and they won't be
breaking and entering to support their habit. They'll be worked off the
chemicals by a physician, and hopefully will rejoin society, as alcoholics
do. After all, they're still human.

Christopher Joseph, Parma, Ohio