AMERICA'S DRUG POLICY IS FAILING

Regarding the story, "County health officer warns of contaminated
street drugs," June 4 SanJuanJournal.com:

San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James's warning about
contaminated street drugs is just another counterproductive aspect of
America's long failed drug crusade.

It should be noted that the problems Dr. James warns about never
existed before drug prohibition. When addicts could buy all of the
pharmaceutical morphine, heroin, cocaine and anything else they wanted
cheaply and legally at the corner pharmacy, they did not drop dead
because of contaminated drugs. All of that is the product of a drug
policy that has utterly failed for more than 90 years.

So much for "saving people from themselves" using police, courts and
prisons.

Ralph Givens

Daly City, Calif.