GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO RE-EVALUATE VIEWS ON DRUGS

I am writing this letter regarding the April 19 Open Forum letter
"Legalizing drugs is not the answer to the problem" The government
does indeed determine what drug/narcotic is legal or illegal such as,
alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin.

Drugs are categorized by the FDA and the DEA as either legal or
illegal depending on their potential for abuse.

The war on drugs has not been very productive besides putting more
drug dealers/users together.

Most of the individuals that are being arrested on drug charges are
small-time street-level drug dealers. A recent study by the Department
of Justice states that approximately 13 percent of all federal inmates
are in prison for violent crimes or had a prior criminal record before
being incarcerated. Nearly 55 percent of federal prisoners are serving
time for a drug offense.

My question is how did the DEA come up with the idea that drug use is
down? We always see something new about drug trafficking or someone
being arrested every day. This is a prime example of how surveys can
be tailored so that they get the answers they are looking for. The
participants being surveyed and the sample size can influence the
outcome as well. For instance, if I wanted the survey to show an
increase in drug use then I would survey individuals that are enrolled
in drug treatment programs or individuals that have been arrested for
drug offences.

It's hard to believe that drug use is down with the struggling
economy.

Some individuals decide to go to drug dealing to support their family
and others are using to cope with the pressures of everyday society.
Is legalizing illegal drugs the easy way out? I don't think there is
an easy way out or someone would have found it already.

I don't think that legalization of illegal drugs would solve the
problem but the government does need to re-evaluate the dangers of
certain drugs because there is obviously a problem with abuse of legal
drugs as well.

Jason Crawford

Burlington