DRUG WAR

To The Editor:

After reading The Journal article "Agencies Trying to put a Dent in
Drug Traffic" (July 22) and, "Law Enforcement Hot on the Drug
Smugglers Trail" (July 25) it appears the Border Patrol is trying to
justify huge increases in manpower, intrusive road blocks, and river
patrols in Northern New York.

Interviews with Border Patrol agents suggest the interdiction of
smuggled marijuana is futile but profitable for law-enforcement as
well as organized crime. Agent Dick Ashlaw admits he doesn't know what
percent of the total drugs being trafficked is intercepted.

What is obvious is the Bill of Rights is being severely eroded; last
year in St. Lawrence County Court several marijuana seizure cases were
dismissed because of illegal searches (4th Amendment Violations).
Motorist and boaters are frequently stopped at checkpoints and
questioned about travel plans. We have all become suspects now.

Corruption effects law enforcement, earlier this year after a
marijuana bust on the Reservation it was revealed that someone working
for the state police dispatch was relaying information to the smugglers.

Law enforcement benefits from the large amounts of cash and vehicles
that are seized. They claim the proceeds save taxpayers money.
That's odd; our taxes never seem to go down. Why can't the money be
directed towards schools and education? That would surely benefit all
of us.

A record number of U.S. Citizens are now under control of the criminal
justice system. (July 26) Watertown Daily Times "Correction
Population Sets Record" about 3.2 percent of the adult population in
the U.S. or nearly 6.9 million is in prison, jail, probation or parole.

Now, if punitive laws are supposed to deter marijuana smuggling the
desired effect has not been realized. We now have a massive police
presence, jails full of people, organized crime reaping high profits
and yet the marijuana still pours across the border.

With some hindsight we would see there was a similar problem in the
first half of the 20th Century and it was called alcohol prohibition,
it's amazing how the problems caused by the prohibition of alcohol in
the 1920's mirror the problems caused by marijuana prohibition in
2004. I don't know how much more of the war on marijuana the
taxpayers can afford.

Lee Monnet