LEGALIZE, REGULATE METHAMPHETAMINES

There is a solution to the lab explosions, child exposure, high profits,
theft, disease and guns associated with methamphetamine. We could
centralize and regulate meth production and distribution in well-secured,
quality-controlled government facilities where addicts would register
before being administered a standardized dosage of pharmaceutical-grade
meth, with medical supervision, without the use of dirty needles. Addicts
would also receive information about the risks of meth use, along with
on-the-spot access to treatment resources. This trailblazing strategy is
currently being used by several nations in Europe with a positive outcome.

Some citizens might think this approach is radical, but it would remove the
economic incentive from the producers and dealers of illegal meth. It would
reduce the spread of AIDS and hepatitis. It would ensure that addicts
aren't committing crimes of robbery and violence to pay the inflated black
market prices imposed by the mobsters. It would eliminate the exploding
meth labs. And it would take the meth off the streets, where children have
easy access to the substance.

Since we can't even keep drugs out of our schools and prisons, perhaps the
Drug Enforcement Administration should stop ensuring the mobsters get rich.

Christopher Largen, Denton, Texas