BENEFITS OF LEGALIZING DRUGS

Bravo to Peter Moskos for his column advocating the legalization of drugs.

Mr. Moskos wrote cogently of the need to try something other than drug
prohibition to attack our problem with rampant drug use. There would be
many benefits from drug legalization.

Once we legalize drugs, we could funnel taxes from the sale of drugs into
improved and readily available treatment, which could actually lower drug use.

At the same time, drug legalization would, in effect, increase the number
of police officers available, as many existing officers would be freed from
drug enforcement duties.

And addicts could have access to less-expensive, safer drugs, which would
free them from lives of petty crime to feed their habits.

Our bonus? Less crime and fear and lower insurance rates for all.

We tend to snicker at the Prohibition era of the Roaring '20s when our
government tried to legislate the impossible and failed miserably.

When will we recognize the similarities of that period to today's war on drugs?

Steve Cole

Baltimore