A DIFFERENT VIEW ON DRUG USE

Regarding Mary Smith's not-so-thoughtful oped: "Vote 'no' on drug
Use, Bill H4176" (1-18-06), my question for Smith: Why does she want
recreational drugs to remain completely unregulated, untaxed and
controlled by criminals? Only legal products of any kind can be
regulated, controlled and taxed by any government.

I'd like to add that if tough-on-drugs policies worked, the quixotic
goal of a drug free America would have been reached a long time ago.
And if tolerant drug policies created more drug use, the Netherlands
would have much higher drug usage rates than the United States. They do not.

In fact, the Dutch use marijuana and other recreational drugs at
much lower rates than Americans do. See the web site:
www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm. And if tolerant drug policies
caused more overall crime, especially violent crime, the Dutch would
have much higher crime rates than the U.S. They do not. The
Dutch murder rate is less than one-third the U.S. per capita murder
rate and their rate of incarceration is about one-seventh the U. S.
incarceration rate.

It's obvious that the Dutch drug policy works a lot better than the
U. S. drug policy. I vote to follow the Dutch drug policy--not the
U. S. drug war cheerleaders like Smith.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, AZ