LEGALIZING USE BEST WAY TO MANAGE IT

Red Ribbon Week is Oct. 23-31. Its sponsor, National Family
Partnership, wants to create a drug-free America. They want to keep
children, families and communities safe, healthy and drug-free.

We must teach our children not to get involved with addictive,
intoxicating, harmful substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cocaine,
heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to create a drug-free America. We fool
ourselves into believing that the way to achieve a drug-free America
is to arrest and punish the criminals and people who supply and use
the drugs. But there are too many criminals and too many people.

Our law enforcement agencies cannot solve the problems created by
prohibition. We must find another way.

LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) asserts that it is
impossible to have a drug-free America. LEAP asserts that to protect
our children we must legalize all of these harmful substances, then
with strict regulation and control allow their use by adults. LEAP
asserts that doing so will achieve the goal of minimal use of harmful
substances.

Arnold J. Byron

Burlington