PLAYING GAMES WITH THE LAW

The ease with which are willing to excuse the past drug use of
politicians is puzzling. It is as though the drug laws are a game
to be beaten by the clever and well connected.

If you get by for a few years and then 'fess up, all is well, and you
are free to be elected to the Senate, presidency or what have you.

If you get caught, well, too bad for you, especially if you are some
run-of-the-mill schmo.

It's off to prison for you. While you're serving your term, the
politicians who broke the same drug laws that put you behind bars will
proclaim the need to toughen our drug laws and lock the bums up.

There is something wrong here. If it is okay to admit you broke the
felony drug laws after you profess to going straight, how long an
interval is required between the breaking of the law and the going
straight to avoid jail? How much more of an interval is needed to be
qualified for high office?

Is it a matter of years?

Months? Days? If we are serious about these drug laws, we should not
be so quick to excuse the breaking of them just because so many have
done so and gone unpunished. If we are not serious and do not apply
the law to all equally, we need to rethink our strategy for fighting
drug use.

JEFFREY HARPER
St. Petersburg