WAR ON DRUGS

To The Editor:

In " Challenges For New Chiefs" (Kelly Comments Sun Aug. 25) the
antiquated phrase " Drugs are a problem" arises again.

Drugs are not the problem, prohibition is the problem.

Recent articles in the Ogdensburg Journal confirm the effort to stop
drugs are a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Record seizures have been reported.

The recent roundup by the Drug Task Force (Aug 15) demonstrates the
fact that the last roundup was replaced. As too this roundup will be
replaced.

How did we stop the rumrunners during the prohibition of alcohol? We
re-legalized alcohol. The dealing ended over night because there was
no more big profits to support the cartels.

A report by Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron "The Budgetary
Implications of Marijuana Prohibition" has garnered the support of
over 530 economists from colleges and universities across the nation.

According to the report, lifting prohibition and allowing for the
taxation of marijuana would save the government approximately $7.7
billion per year in enforcement costs. Of these savings, $5.3 billion
would be accumulated at the state and local levels from such
expenditures and $2.4 billion at the federal level. This does not
include the savings to taxpayers for courts, incarceration, new
prisons, and new jails.

Support of prohibition has let our bridges and roads fall apart, hurt
hurricane and flood victims, and given us a record amount of children
without health insurance.

Larry Seguin

Lisbon