DON'T GIVE UP ON DRUG WAR

An Aug. 16 letter advocated that the "War on drugs should be
abandoned." The reasoning used to justify this stance was that "the
government shouldn't be in the business of changing behavior," that
trying to enforce our laws is a waste of money and that government
ought to "either legalize drug use or stop enforcement of
unenforceable drug laws."

What rubbish!

Illegal behavior, be it drug law violations, theft, rape or murder,
have been part of daily life as long as history has been recorded. No
illegal activity ever has been entirely eradicated, and all laws are
technically "unenforceable" as long as there are those willing to risk
penalties to break these laws.

Does this mean that because we have been unable to eradicate theft,
rape or murder we should just throw our hands up in the air?

Drug use and illegal drug sales create dangerous individuals who
commit crimes and behave in an unacceptable manner. Drug sales make
criminals and other thugs rich, enabling them to extend their reach
further into decent society.

There always will be those who flout society's values and break
society's laws. Crime never will be eliminated, but that does not mean
we should give up trying.

Charles Levenson

Beachwood