DRUGS - ANOTHER ANSWER

The anonymous State Department official quoted in "Mexico's fight against
drugs is a failure, analysts say" (July 4) uses an intellectually dishonest
technique, classically known as the logical fallacy of a false dilemma.

By presenting two possible solutions (continue waging war on citizens over
which intoxicants or medications they choose to use, or yield societal
control to criminal elements) as the only answers to drug policy issues, our
paid public servant carefully ignores the fact that it is prohibition that
causes societal harm, and not the drugs themselves.

Indeed, as proponents of alcohol prohibition early last century learned
along with the rest of the population, regulations based on such fraudulent
but persuasive and popular concepts inevitably result in increased
corruption, per capita homicides and abuses of the very items in commerce
deemed as contraband.

Perhaps those with government pay and pensions ought to reconsider their
public positions on this concededly contentious but important historical
issue, and go fight real crime.

Jose Melendez,

Communications Director

Concerned Citizens Coalition to Criminalize Prohibition

DeLand