LEGALIAZING DRUGS WILL STOP VIOLENCE

Re: Victoria's top cop vows to catch drug dealers (News, May 22)

The News merely repeats the propaganda message when it quotes
Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham as saying that "drugs and violence
go together" without questioning the accuracy of the statement.

That this is Chief Graham's opinion does not make it fact, however
much he may think so.

As our U.S. neighbours proved with the Volstead Amendment, it is
neither drugs nor alcohol that goes with violence. It is prohibition
that creates the high prices for otherwise inexpensive commodities.

This artificially maintained high price against low cost ratio in an
uncontrollable industry in turn create violence over market share.
The prohibited item is the innocent bystander in an exercise in
social engineering.

That Chief Graham has not figured this out is appalling. One almost
suspects that he must know, and simply ignores these truths in order
to parrot an ideological position. I am not sure if I prefer the
Chief less as a dupe or a cynic.

Either way, we cannot afford to listen to him without challenging his
allegations, because the lunacy of prohibition must end before we can
expect an end to drug market related violence.

David Lowther

Mesachie Lake, B.C