NEED FOR DRUG MONEY, NOT DRUGS, CAUSES CRIME

I was astonished by the outlook of Robert Weiner, former spokesman
for the White House National Drug Policy Office, in his March 7
Letter to the Editor; it's a reflection of what is wrong with the
government's notions about drugs.

Mr. Weiner seems to think that drugs cause people to commit crimes.
The crimes are committed so that the users can get money to pay the
prices for drugs that are dramatically increased on the street, in
contrast to what they cost when obtained through prescriptions.

The analogy with the prohibition of alcohol is actually quite valid.
That sorry experiment created organized crime. The prohibition of
narcotics has created corruption on a scale never imagined by Al
Capone and his associates. It has also created the largest prison
system in the world, built largely to house people who have never
committed violent crimes.

Joseph R. Barrie, M.D.

Harvard, Mass.