LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE DRUG CRIMES

In the Register Orange Grove of May 30, Dr. Michael Glueck discusses "
A new front for 'drug war' " [Opinion]. It is a serious problem,
especially with 70 percent of our prison inmates there because of drugs.

Unfortunately, not enough information is given out about the real
danger that drugs represent. What do they do to the individual,
personally, socially and financially? Are there case studies? What
does addiction do to the family, to the community? Is it truly
dangerous and to what degree?

From that point we can discuss what to do about it.

Unfortunately, Dr. Glueck would make drugs more available. He says
legalization would reduce the numbers of people in prisons and
presumably then drugs can be controlled by some government agency.

The question is what the readier availability of drugs will do to our
citizens, our society.

There is only one way to control addiction or any activity of a
criminal nature.

We have the death penalty for murderers and appropriate imprisonment
for other crimes. The answer is to make the punishment fit the crime.

Perhaps capital punishment is in order.

There must be an appropriate punishment to fit the crime without
further burdening us in the "Drug Wars."

Jerome Greenblatt,
Laguna Woods