WAR ON DRUGS COULD END WITH REGULATION

I read with interest recent articles in the Journal Sentinel: "Feds say
arrests break Green Bay drug ring," "Tavern League rejects proposal on
license fee" and those about the release of convicted rapist/murderer
Gerald Turner.

I couldn't help but note that the coke dealers are facing life sentences at
the taxpayers' expense for non-violent drug offenses, while convicted
rapist-murderers such as Turner are being released back into society. What
kind of message does this send to the children?

Alcohol, cigarettes and cocaine are all addictive drugs. Cigarettes and
alcohol account for vastly more deaths annually than all other drugs
combined, and the link between alcohol and violence is undeniable.

I was struck by the fact that unlike cocaine distributors, the Tavern
League, representing pushers of the legal addictive drugs alcohol and
cigarettes, is quite powerful in Wisconsin, apparently with a good portion
of the state Legislature and perhaps the governor in its proverbial pocket.

What is the difference between a Tavern League and a cocaine cartel, except
the difference in the legality of their markets, and thus their profits and
the taxes they pay?

Compared to the damage caused by alcohol and tobacco, the major danger of
prohibited substances is their illegality, not their effects, which pale in
comparison to legal drugs.

Isn't it time to end this unwinnable war on drugs and regulate their sale
to remove the profit incentive that causes gangs to want to distribute them
to our youth?

Gary Storck
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