WAR ON DRUGS NOT WORKING IN U.S.

Dear Editor:

As a retired police officer and student of history and economics, Dan
Lemieux's column Growing, Selling Drugs Not Victimless Crimes (North
Shore News, Oct. 31) on drugs and crimes leads me to believe he
flunked history and economics in school.

Mr. Lemieux, you did an excellent job demonstrating all the ills of a
prohibition policy and then at the end you call for more punishment.
Do you not receive any news south of the 48th parallel? We have had
mandatory 20-plus year sentences for dealing and making drugs for the
past two decades. The result? Drugs are even cheaper, stronger and
easier to buy.

What part of the fact that someone will always risk even death to make
the big, "easy" dollars don't you get?

Officer Howard J. Wooldridge (retired)

Education Specialist, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc)

Washington, DC