WHAT COUNTRY EXPORTS THE DEADLIEST DRUG? THE U.S.

America is the land of hypocrisy. We enter foreign countries, kidnap
drug lords and prosecute them under our laws. We fumigate their
fields, spraying poisons on their lands, rivers and wells. Yet, we are
the No. 1 exporter of the deadliest, most addictive drug on the
planet. Nicotine is more addictive than heroin, cocaine and marijuana
combined. It kills over 400,000 individuals a year.

What if China decided to declare a war on deadly drugs and initiated
fumigation of tobacco fields in Kentucky and North Carolina? What if
they kidnapped our tobacco kingpins and prosecuted them under their
laws? This is our approach in addressing certain forms of addiction.

We are so ignorant. Prohibition is not even an effective deterrent, it
ranks sixth on the list of reasons why people quit doing illegal
drugs. Problems with family and loss of employment are primary.

The majority of crime associated with illegal drugs is a result of
prohibition. Outlaw cigarettes and an intricate black market will
develop overnight. The price of cigarettes will skyrocket, addicts
will be forced to consort with criminals in purchasing an unregulated
product and street crime will soar. Tobacco drug testing will prevent
otherwise productive addicts from obtaining decent employment. Jails
will be flooded, and our justice system will crumble under the impact.

In the last 30 years, illegal drug use has increased, but we have
managed to decrease the number of nicotine addicts in this country by
50 percent through education and awareness. We should rethink our
approach on illegal drug. There are much more effective and wiser ways
to deal with this issue. Prohibition is not a solution. It creates
more problems than it solves.

Kim Dunaway

Ocean Springs