END FUTILE DRUG WAR: YES ON PROPOSITION 19

If the drug war was winnable, we would have won it by
now.

When the prohibitionists made alcohol illegal, they discovered people
would buy it anyway. Today the War on Drugs is no deterrent to the
dealers who smuggle drugs across our borders, or to those who want to
get high. The 40-year drug war has created a black market that we will
never defeat.

In 1970, hippies and other dropouts were the undeclared targets of the
drug war. Since then, drug use has expanded exponentially in both the
number of users and the character of the drugs, including misuse of
prescription medicine and dangerous concoctions made with
over-the-counter ingredients. Getting high has become a rite of
passage for the young.

We need to focus on the real issue about drugs. The issue is not
whether drugs are harmful. They are. It's not whether kids will use
them. They already do. It's not whether a drug-befuddled driver is
dangerous. That's nothing new. The issue is who's in control, us or
the drug dealers? We need to take back the control of drugs, but no
politician will discuss it, so it's up to us. Start by voting yes on
Proposition 19.

Joan Manning, Shasta Lake