POT PROHIBITION IS WHAT FUELS VIOLENT CRIME

THE HEADLINE of Joan Vennochi's column, "Pot not a crime, but trade
still has victims" (Op-ed, April 28), is true, in that possession of
small amounts is
decriminalized in Massachusetts. However, instead of blaming marijuana
users for the violence inherent in a market where production and sales
remain illegal, she should look toward the remaining prohibition laws
themselves.

Just as with the fiasco of America's experiment with banning alcohol
in the 1920s and '30s, today's violence and crime result
overwhelmingly from the policy of prohibition, not the consumption of
substances that happen to be illegal.

If marijuana and other drugs were legalized and regulated like alcohol
is today, the drug gangs would disappear as Al Capone did, the illegal
market violence would end, and the police could focus on improving on
things such as the low clearance rate for murders. If you don't
believe me, ask yourself: When was the last time someone died fighting
over a street corner or a dorm to sell beer?

Karen Hawkes

Rowley

The writer, a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, is a
retired Massachusetts state trooper.