PROHIBITION BLUES

Mike Gorrell's April 8 article, "End of Prohibition Remembered," nearly
brought a tear to my eye. The article briefly outlines prohibition of
alcohol in the 1920s, taking note of the absolute failure of Prohibition
laws to stop people from drinking, serving merely to drive it underground.

"This goes back to ... being able to do what you please rather than letting
the government determine what you can drink," says local brewer Will Hamill.

These same arguments can be applied to our nation's current prohibition on
marijuana and to the so-called war on drugs. In fact, the only difference
between the two is that while the prohibition of alcohol was not funded
with citizens' tax dollars, the current prohibition takes millions of
dollars from our state and federal budgets.

We're turning otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals with this
arbitrary law, while spending money to drive up the prices of drugs,
effectively putting money into the hands of terrorists and other militant
groups.

So the next time someone asks you if you support the war on drugs, just say no.

Elijah Gregory

Salt Lake City