HYPOCRITES

Drugs - Re: "Our role in gang activity," Editorial, March 12.

You are right: the illegal drug trade is profitable because those
willing to buy its products indirectly support the violence that comes
with it.

But is anyone naive enough to believe the demand for drugs will ever
go away?

The gangs are modern-day bootleggers thriving on a government-created
black market. In a free market, drug dealers would compete with prices
and settle disputes in courtrooms. How many liquor vendors do you see
shooting up each other's stores?

We have become a society of hypocrites who tolerate and glorify one
addictive, potentially lethal drug (alcohol) while demonizing others,
many of which are less dangerous.

We sing the praises and reap the benefits of free markets while
promoting black markets that are far more harmful than their products.

Dan Edwards,

Calgary