SIMPLY A PIPE DREAM

The drumbeat for legalizing or decriminalizing drugs grows louder by
the day. Recent headlines in the Gazette proclaim: "Panel: Drug war
failed; explore legalization" (June 2), "Cash spent in drug war
called wasted" (June 9), "More reasons to end the drug war" (June
10). The latter, an editorial by the Orange County Register, cites
the conclusions of several world leaders (whose wisdom or political
agendas are not universally accepted) and the widely trumpeted
results of Portugal's 2001 drug decriminalization.

Readers should be wary of swallowing whole the opinions of the nabobs
mentioned in the Register piece or assuming that the results of the
Portuguese experiment would be duplicated in the huge and diverse
United States: Tiny Portugal has a homogeneous population of about
10.7 million.

They should also distinguish between "legalization" and
"decriminalization." From an article in Scientific American, 4/17/09:

"Drug legalization removes all criminal penalties for producing,
selling and using drugs; no country has tried it. In contrast,
decriminalization, as practiced in Portugal, eliminates jail time for
users but maintains criminal penalties for dealers."

And: "Under the Portuguese plan, penalties for people caught dealing
and trafficking drugs are unchanged; dealers are still jailed and
subjected to fines depending on the crime".

Decriminalization means the "drug war" against traffickers would
continue unabated.

Outright, unfettered legalization of all drugs is unimaginable. A
more likely scenario would impose regulations (like these from a
Wikipedia article): "Mandated labels with dosage and medical
warnings, restrictions on advertising, age limitations, restrictions
on amount purchased at one time, requirements on the form in which
certain drugs would be supplied, ban on sale to intoxicated persons,
special user licenses to purchase particular drugs." In addition,
drug transactions would undoubtedly be taxed by all levels of
government. Every regulation and tax would be a law that criminals
would find profitable to disobey. The "drug war" will not end. Even
if we surrender, the other side will continue to fight.

The notion that running up the white flag in the war on drugs-even
though it is at best a stalemate - and making drugs legal,
inexpensive, safer to use, universally available and implicitly
sanctioned by society will decrease drug use and its consequences
(including crime) is simply a pipe dream.

Legalization? Decriminalization? Be careful what you wish for. And
what drums you listen to.

Steve Haggart

Colorado Springs