DRUG WAR FAILS

I agree with Kris Stephen, education should have priority over the war on
drugs. Our society does not invest enough in children, leading to an
epidemic of failure.

More high school students use marijuana here than in Copenhagen. That's
because illegal drugs are easier for teens to get than legal ones.

Druggie families rightly consider the police their enemy. The associated
costs to their children are just appalling.

Schools are so underfunded. Children with rich and educated parents do all
right, but many of the children from disadvantaged families do not. The
schools just do not have enough money.

How much tax money are we spending on our drug war? How much more could be
generated by state taxes on marijuana? I bet it's a lot.

Our government policies should support better schools, not Mexican drug lords.

The war on drugs doesn't solve anything. Like Prohibition, it's a war
against citizens. It is funding organized crime, incarcerating nonviolent
people, encouraging drug use among minors, undermining the relationship
between police and citizens and costing us all way too much.

I hope to see a credible cost-benefit analysis done soon. These issues
demand better policy.

Lauren Unruh

Pleasant Hill