WAR ON DRUGS A WAR ON PEOPLE

The war on drugs is not a war on drugs. It is a war on
people.

It is a war on the entire younger generation. They are part of a
generation who used drugs early in life and who tried many different
kinds. It is part of the culture for all those who do not use drugs as
well as those who do. The lives of those who do not use drugs are
closely intertwined with those who do by all kinds of social and
family relationships. They are all affected by that war.

Please stop that war. Stop making criminals and accomplices of an
entire generation. They are just our children and nieces and nephews
and grandchildren and neighbors - they work at a fast food place or an
oil changer, a warehouse, as waitresses and accountants; they go to
school.

Just legalize the drugs. Don't worry that some drugs are worse or
better than others. Don't worry about abuse. That is happening now and
will continue whether drugs are legal or not.

We might have a chance of dealing with those very real personal
problems. But we have to deal with them as personal problems, not
criminal problems. Criminalizing so many people over such personal
issues is not helpful.

So please, just legalize the drugs. Deal with people as people, that's
all. Whether a person abuses alcohol or cocaine may be less important
than how we react to the legality or non-legality of the drug.
Treating either group as criminals does not work.

Terry Davis,
Chico