TIME TO END DRUG WAR INSANITY

I'm writing about Richard Sinnott's outstanding letter: "Drug prohibition at
root of problem," July 1. Could you re-print his letter and place it on your
front page and keep it there until the insanity known as our war on drugs is
over?

Ninety years ago, pure pharmaceutical grade Bayer heroin was legally sold in
local pharmacies for about the same price as Bayer aspirin.

Ninety year ago, we had about 1.8 percent of our population addicted to
drugs, according to U. S. federal Judge John Kane of Colorado.

Today, after 90 years of drug criminalization, and transforming the former
"Land of Liberty" into the most incarcerated nation on the planet and in
history, we still have about 1.8 percent of our population addicted to
drugs.

Ninety years ago, the term "drug related crime" didn't exist. Neither did
drug lords nor drug cartels. These were all created by our drug prohibition
policies. Not drugs.

Ninety years ago, deaths from recreational drugs were very rare.

That's because the drugs were of known quality, known purity and known
potency.

Today, recreational drugs are untaxed, unregulated, controlled by criminal
gangs and supporting international terrorists.

It's time to end this insanity.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz