PROHIBITION MAKES DRUG USE A PROBLEM

Editor:

Edy D. in his letter (The Times, Oct. 5) did get one thing right. If
every child had a happy, carefree, loving childhood, there would be
far fewer drug users. There would however still be some, from genetic
aberrations and other factors we cannot understand today.

All drugs are bad. So are alcohol, tobacco, gambling, overeating,
undereating, making caustic statements, having a bad attitude, etc.

If we look at the history of drugs, we find marijuana has been in use
for some 8,000 years, opium and its by-products for 4,000 years and
cocaine for a similar period of time. They only became illegal in the
1920s, and since then we have spent billions of dollars in efforts to
exclude them from society.

Today we have the same proportion of chronic drug addicts as we had
when they were legal, only the wasted money is missing. What we have
in addition is violent murderous gangs, who make their money from the
distribution of drugs and ensure there is a dealer on every block,
and outside every school.

When the dealers are arrested or killed, all that does is to create a
job opportunity for the next one in line. In addition, at least 75
per cent of all property crime is commited by addicts to support
their drug use.

Edy's reference to self-abuse is interesting, as in the 19th Century
when drugs were legal, there was a huge campaign against self-abuse
or masturbation, as it was felt that it was destroying society.
Children caught engaging in self-abuse were beaten half to death to
reform them.

If we look at the facts regarding marijuana, we find that prominently
published medical studies, such as a recent one in the U.K.'s Lancet,
consider marijuana to have far less bad effects than alcohol or
tobacco. Half of all tobacco smokers will die from their habit, and
it is easy to ingest fatal amounts of alcohol.

It is impossible to overdose on marajuana and there has never been a
case where marijuana use alone has caused cancer.

In Holland, small amounts of marijuana can be legally bought in the
coffee shops. Their rates of marijuana usuage are only half those in
the U.S., which has the world's most draconian laws against the drug.
In addition, the numbers of hard drug users is only half that of the U.S.

The coffee shops only sell marijuana and they are not pushing kids to
try more addictive drugs, unlike our schoolyard pushers here.

No, Edy, I don't smoke dope and have never used any illegal
substance. I do, however, take the time to confirm my facts from a
variety of sources, which is so easily done today.

Tony Smith, Langley