DRUG PROHIBITION CAUSES PROBLEMS

I'm writing about your thoughtful editorial, The drug that affects
everyone, May 16, 2007.

I submit that it's not cocaine addiction that fuels crime but rather
our drug prohibition policies. Lots of people are are addicted to
tobacco and coffee, yet very few of these addicts resort to crime to
pay for their addictions.

If we were to criminalize tobacco or coffee, the situation would soon
change.

If the United States and Canada re-legalized all of our now illegal
drugs so they can be sold in regulated and licensed business
establishments for pennies per dose, would this solve our drug
problems? No.

But it would substantially reduce our crime rate.

Alcohol prohibition was not abolished in 1933 because it was decided
that alcohol was not so bad after all, but because of the crime and
corruption that prohibition caused.

In 1933, the U. S. overall crime rate declined substantially and our
murder rate declined for 10 consecutive years.

Have we learned any lessons from this experience? Not
yet.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Arizona