CURRENT DRUG POLICIES FAIL SOCIETY

Re: "Failed Drug War Won't Protect Our Children"
[Commentary, April 6].

Our drug policies create the black market - which is the threat to society
because it creates an atmosphere in which we must be afraid to send our
children to a corner store; to ever leave them unsupervised. Katie Collman
(Indiana) and Paul Guajardo (Texas) are two children recently murdered.
Katie (10) stumbled [upon] a meth lab, and Paul was undercover at 14.

It's estimated over 100 million Americans have used some illegal drug. Why
not educate our young, treat our addicts, and respect the rights of adults
to choose their own recreational or medicinal intoxicant? It would free law
enforcement to better protect us from violence and fraud, plus create room
in prison for those selling children drugs.

Our DEA harasses the sick and the dying (medical marijuana patients). They
get bad press. Bush balances this by going to bat for Terri. The present
usurpers of the White House will do anything for you if you are brain-dead.
However, if you have a brain and you want to make your own decisions - it
might have to be over their politically dead bodies.

God bless.

- - B. Colleen Minter, Stephenville, Texas