PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK

The answer to Zeenice Roja's question about why a drug as dangerous as
alcohol is legal is very simple. ("Alcohol vs. marijuana," Letters,
May 26)

We tried alcohol prohibition and it was a disaster. People like Al
Capone and Lucky Luciano took over alcohol distribution and caused a
13-year crime wave filled with bombings and gun battles. Prohibition
caused far more trouble than the alcohol did.

The same situation to a lesser degree holds true for marijuana, but
without the effects of alcoholism.

The lesson we need to learn is that prohibition never works. It always
turns the market over to career criminals who use violence as a
business method.

Ralph Givens,
Daly City, Calif.