LET DRUG-USERS BE

The war on drugs is another source of irritation for me because it is
senseless and a wasteful adventure that cannot be won because human
nature won't allow it.

This war has been going on for over thirty five years. The drug
"problem" essentially started when young people rebelled. We
called it the "Hippy Movement." The drug problem could have been a
non-problem shortly after it started if the reigning bureaucrats had
turned the problem over to the parents of the young adults using
drugs. But bureaucrats can't butt-out of any problem; they must
attack all problems with vigor to show that they are needed.

This war has escalated into a major battle where almost every country
on earth is involved in one way or another. Each involved country is
either in the war against drugs or building their economy on the
production of drugs. For lack of a better name, I suggest "World War
III" would be appropriate.

It is a major expense for our country. I would venture to say the cost
to fight this war was and is enormous considering the scope "" both
expanding existing agencies and adding new ones. As an example, the
jail population has, at least, doubled to house the drug-related
"criminals." We can't build jails fast enough. All sub states
and cities require added facilities, equipment and personnel beyond
the normal. Estimating the cost would be almost impossible considering
the problem identifying the many hidden costs beyond the obvious. It
would be my guess that the total cost would exceed the costs of both
the Iraq and Afghanistan war combined if not more. Adding to this, the
number of people destroyed by this war, the cost is staggering.

The principles used to come to this conclusion, derived from The
Theory of Property, are as follows: "If a demand for a product
exists, someone or a consortium will provide it to make a profit."
For those hung up on drugs: "One cannot attack his own property."
This tells us that if anyone wishes to destroy himself by any means,
it's his call. We shouldn't try to protect anyone from self injury
and we should allow them, with no public assistance, to suffer the
consequences of their stupidity. Under these conditions, the
out-of-control usage of drugs will assuredly diminish
precipitously.

Ralph Tamm, Lihu'e