PROPOSED PENALTY SEVERE

Letter writer Bob Thompson (Weekend Edition, Jan. 17) laments that we do not
live in a society that will put drug traffickers in jail for life.

First, there is the fact that the biggest drug trafficker is the government
and the government is out to maintain a monopoly for two of the most
dangerous drugs around.

Last year, marijuana killed no one at all, and hard drugs killed less that
10, 000 in all of North America.

The government-sanctioned products killed hundreds of thousands as did fatty
foods. Why stop at drug traffickers?

How about fast-food moguls who also kill hundreds of thousands? Should we
have police officers at that second window at the drive through pinching an
inch to see if you are an abuser?

The society that Bob Thompson would like to see could quickly metamorphize
into one that takes a dim view of those who would write letters to editors.

He should be careful about his choice of the dock as he may be next in line.

- --Chuck Beyer, Victoria