DON'T FIGHT DRUGS -- REGULATE THEM

I'm writing about Rich Figel's outstanding column "The verdict is in:
Drug policy needs overhaul" ("Addicted to Life," Star-Bulletin, Aug. 5).

If we re-legalized all our illegal drugs so that they could be sold
by licensed and regulated businesses for pennies per dose, would this
eliminate our drug problems? No. However, doing so would
substantially reduce the crime rate and dramatically increase public safety.

Will we ever be able to eliminate our drug problems? No. However, we
can substantially reduce the harm caused by our illegal drugs.

Regulated and controlled drugs would be of known purity, known
potency and known quality -- which would make them very much safer
than today's black-market drugs.

But what message would we send to children if we legalized all
illegal drugs so they could be sold in licensed, regulated and taxed
business establishments?

The same message we send to children today when we allow products
such as alcohol and tobacco to be sold in licensed, regulated and
taxed business establishments.

A free country's government cannot protect its adult citizens from
themselves. A free country's government has no right to attempt to do so.

Kirk Muse

Frequent Hawaii visitor Mesa, Ariz.