HORSEMAN'S MESSAGE: LEGALIZE DRUGS

The Retired Texas Police Officer Says Authorities Have Better Things
To Worry About Than Drugs

A retired Texas policeman is riding horseback across America wearing
a T-shirt that says "Cops Say Legalize Drugs."

Howard Wooldridge, 54, a member of the group Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition, is hoping to spread his message that law enforcement
officials have better things to worry about than drugs - such as
drunken driving, child molestation and "flying planes into buildings."

"After 35 years of the war on drugs, we know the government and
police cannot stop anyone from making a foolish decision about
drugs," Wooldridge said during a stop in Dubuque on Wednesday.

The former Fort Worth police officer said drugs are readily available
to America's youth.

Wooldridge thinks drugs should be the business of doctors and
pharmacists. By legalizing drugs, Wooldridge said the government
could regulate them. He is confident people would choose to buy
government-inspected drugs rather than drugs off the street.

He said legalizing drugs will get dealers off the street and keep
them out of the ever-filling jails, destroy the black market and stop
giving funds to terrorists. He said drug money is the No. 1 source of
money for terrorists.

"This is a question of mismatched priorities," Wooldridge said. "The
question should always be about public safety."

Dean Nelson, a prevention specialist at Helping Services for
Northeast Iowa, disagrees with Wooldridge.

"I think (legalizing drugs) would be a real negative thing," he said.
"I think there would be the inclination to do a lot more
experimenting, and a lot of addiction and problems could develop out of that."

Instead of legalizing drugs, Nelson said it is important to educate
people at an early age, which is one of the goals of Helping Services.

Sgt. Bob Lynn, head of the Dubuque Drug Task Force, said there would
be no positive effects of legalizing drugs. Making drugs more
accessible would increase use, he said.

"My experiences tell me that drugs basically destroy families," he
said. "They become financial burdens, they are put before the family
and the bills, kids become secondary if not obsolete, they can lead
to physical and sexual abuse."

Wooldridge began his trip March 4 in Los Angeles. He plans to end in
New York in October.

He said that people in Iowa "get it," commenting that several people
approach him each day agreeing with his message.