LETTER OF THE WEEK

TIME TO END THE WAR ON DRUGS

By N. Bill Smeathers

I am not in anyway opposed to law enforcement. As a civilized
society we must have it. However, we do not need law enforcement
which functions in such a way that it becomes oppressive. Sadly
enough, in one way or another, the problem stems from or is
influenced by, The War on Drugs, and why we need to fight to end The
War on Drugs.

To end this war, where do we start? There are so many important reasons.

Drug prohibition creates a lucrative black market that causes
violence and disorder, particularly in the inner cities. It draws
young people into lives of crime. Thousands of Americans die from
drug overdoses or poisonings by adulterants every year. Most of these
deaths would be preventable through quality control which would exist
if drugs were legal.

Our ( America's ) drug was in the South American Andes fuels a
continuing civil war in Columbia, with prohibition-generated illicit
drug profits aiding its escalation. Opium growing, and the attempts
to stop it, both hurt Afghanistan's attempts at nation building and
helps our enemies.

Profiling assaults the dignity of members of minority groups, and of
the poor, denying them equal justice. From drug testing in our
schools, to SWAT and SLANT teams invading our homes and terrorizing
our children and handicapped persons, assaulting the citizenry's very
existence, privacy has been gutted.

That's not all of it, and it isn't a pretty picture. This is why we
must oppose drug laws.

N. Bill Smeathers,
Freeport

Pubdate: Sun, 23 Sep 2007

Source: Journal Standard, The (Freeport, IL)