WINNING THE DRUG WAR

I'm writing about Bill Richardson's thoughtful column on Sept 1: "Drug
gangs' impact". The only way to effectively deal with the drug
cartels is to put them out of business. The only way this can be
accomplished is to regulate, control and tax the products that they
deal in. And this can only be accomplished with legalization. Only
legal products of any kind can be regulated, controlled and taxed by
any government.

Of course, the drug war cheerleaders will claim that legalizing our
now illegal drugs will be giving into the drug dealers and drug lords.

When we re-legalized alcohol in 1933 did we give into the alcohol
cartels? No. We put them out of business.

Arresting and jailing a drug dealer or even the head of a drug cartel
has the effect similar to cutting off the top of a weed. It will grow
back--stronger than ever.

The only way to get rid of any weed is to kill the root--and the root
of our drug problem is: prohibition.

Kirk Muse

Mesa