LEGALIZED DRUGS NOT THE ANSWER

Editor:

The logic of the recent letter by Howard J. Wooldridge, of Law Enforcement
Against Prohibition, is fallacious.

It implies that legalizing narcotics and other presently illegal drugs
would reduce America's drug problems, but doesn't explain how.

Legalizing drugs would not rid us of our drug problems any more than
legalized liquor has kept intoxicated people off our streets or legal
tobacco has made us healthier.

All it would do is replace the street dealer with a government dealer. That
might be an improvement, but it would do little toward alleviating the
consumption problem.

Mr. Wooldridge references both our children and personal responsibility. If
it was not for our children, I might be a bit more inclined to agree with
him, but we now have a problem with underage drinkers and underage smokers.

So, how would legalizing drugs protect our children from their ill effects?

There are two important points that Mr. Wooldridge and I are in agreement
on. The refusal of adults to accept personal responsibility for themselves
and their children is the key hindrance toward an effective drug war.

Parents are too permissive and do not set, nor enforce, the parental
standards for their children that they claim they believe in.

Accepting personal responsibility as a parent and as an individual is the
best answer to better protecting our children and ourselves.

The other point of agreement is that what we are doing is not working, but
legalization is not the answer and will not fix the problem.

James E. Hanners,

Madison