LEGALIZE DRUGS

Editor:

I think that legalizing all currently illicit drugs, at the very
least, marijuana, would go a long way towards eliminating the crime
connected with it and the terrorist activity in the world today, and
here's why.

By making some drugs illegal, this, by its very nature creates a black
market in them, as there are some people who WILL use, REGARDLESS of
whether or not those drugs are illegal.

Because there is a cash incentive, run-of-the-mill criminal types will
always be attracted.

Also, currently, and for probably some time now, some of those dirty
monies have been skimmed off by agents of our own shadow government,
mostly comprised of rogue CIA agents who have been using them to fund
mostly unwitting terrorists and the internal strife in Iraq and the
rest of the Middle East and the world.

If those drugs were legal, and people could, at the very least, grow
their own marijuana, say about four to six plants, I guarantee, that
those ill-gotten funds would dry up overnight, and the malevolent
entities behind all this warring and crime would be left without legs
to stand on.

The drug monies skimming scheme is not as far-fetched as it sound;
this very scheme was coupled with the selling of missiles to Iran for
cash during the 1980's Iran-Iraq war. Those combined monies were used
in the Iran-Contra debacle to subsidize the good-guy Contras in their
fight against the nasty Communist Sandinistas (our very own little,
backyard war devised solely for the purpose of making members of the
military-industrial complex richer, all under the banner of
benevolence of "fighting" Communism. Kind of sounds like what's
happening now with Halliburton making out while we ram the "goodness"
of democracy down the Iraqi peoples' throats whether or not they want
it. Benevolence my ass. Not that I don't believe democracy is a good
thing; we just weren't asked for help in getting it, and I'm not so
sure that destroying a country, and killing, maiming and allowing the
torturing of its people is the best way to accomplish its
establishment.

Of course, those who have a vested interest in keeping some drugs
illegal will raise the biggest hue and cry against legalizing them
because, ultimately, they don't want to compete against, or see their
best source of cash and power dry up. (That's their "fix": money and
power). The alcohol and pharmaceutical industries: because of the
competition (For instance, pot would beat both in the marketplace,
hands down); criminals: because the money from the black market funds
their oftentimes lavish lifestyles; prison and law enforcement
officials: because with the burgeoning prison population, thanks to
some drugs being illegal, and resulting arrests for their use, or
criminal activity connected with them, they can ask for (and usually
get) more money, and can give themselves bigger salaries (and you can
forget about rehabilitation, Buster!); those in the drug rehab
business who rely on an never-ending stream of hard-core,
use-regardless-of-the-consequences clientele faithfully running afoul
of the law: again, it's really all about the money, bottom-line; the
DEA: it's all about the power and the money, and they, too, play their
part in the world domination plan that follows; and finally, those
rascally, rogue CIA terrorism-funders: because fear of terrorism is
primary for getting Americans to willingly give up their
Constitutionally-guaranteed rights and liberties in exchange for the
ILLUSION of safety from terrorism - all part of the plan for world
domination, man.

Many of the people fighting the "war" on drugs are operating under the
banner of benevolence, but don't really give a damn about your
welfare; that's, for the most part, a facade.

Bottom line, it's really all about the money to be had, not about
providing protection of the people from possible abuse or addiction or
crime.

Hell, it's the making of drugs a crime that makes it pay, for God's
sake! The big stink about the record opium crop in Afghanistan or the
massive amounts of coca leaves being grown which are used to make all
the cocaine coming out of South America? All posturing, to cover up
what really amounts to turf wars because the shadow isn't being given
enough or any cut, and sometimes those black market monies are used to
beat it at its own game. The nerve.

Both sides of the fence leave behind ruined careers and destroyed
lives in their wakes.

The scum. War on drugs indeed.

This is not to say that there aren't some folks who are a part of the
preceding industries who sincerely and honestly want to deal with the
root causes and problems of drug abuse and/or addiction, which are
primarily mental, physical, and societal issues which ought not to be
a law enforcement issue if they are to truly be solved; these folks
are to be commended; they are the true heroes of the drug war, but the
illegality issue simply compounds and exacerbates the problems for
them.

Please understand that I am not, repeat, not advocating the use of
drugs, far from it. I think their use exacerbates already existent, or
creates mental health problems which oftentimes develop into physical
or societal health issues.

I am simply of the mind that by making certain drugs illegal, you're
virtually guaranteeing the creation of a black market and the criminal
and terrorist activity connected with it because some people will use
them regardless of the consequences. I say, legalize, and get rid of
the black market in drugs which will assure the virtual disappearance
of the criminal and terrorists activity connections, and get to the
root of why people want to use drugs in the first place (education and
treatment are key), and not continue to make drug use and
ever-spiraling-upwards law enforcement problem that can never be
solved from that standpoint. The proposal for the legalization of
possession of an ounce or less of marijuana that'll be on the November
ballot doesn't go far enough as people will still have to rely on a
black market just to get the stuff.

Only by legalizing at the federal level, cultivation of, say, up to
six marijuana plants will the black market in marijuana truly be
eradicated. But then, hey, where's the money in that?

BOB KEENAN

Carbondale