DRUG PROHIBITION BEHIND DRIVE FOR NEW COUNTY JAIL

Editor, the Tribune:

I was ecstatic when I read the Tribune editorial advocating the repeal
of drug prohibition. It appears as if common sense regarding the drug
issue is beginning to trickle into all aspects of society.

The war on drugs - a semantic ploy to play upon our patriotism - costs
us $20 billion a year, infringes on our personal security and, most
important, has created a crime syndicate unparalleled in history.
Furthermore, the federal government has no constitutional authority to
restrict personal drug use - although most people donÌt seem to care
about federal limits anymore.

Locally, my guess is that drug prohibition is the primary force behind
a new jail. Nationwide, the drug policy has accounted for the vast
majority of the 2 million prisoners today. It took more than 200 years
for the United States to incarcerate 1 million people and only one
decade - the 1990s - to double that amount. I agree with the Tribune -
itÌs time to take a more rational and responsible approach to drug
issues. One thing is for sure; the policies of today create more
problems than they solve!

Greg Rennier, 10900 S. Hardwick Lane