WHY BAN SOME DRUGS?

Re "The New Problem Drugs: Meth," published Nov. 25: So prohibition doesn't
work. What else is new?

Why do governments prohibit certain drugs? Is it to protect users from harm?

No, that can't be the reason because users suffer more (adulterated drugs
and jail time) when a drug is banned as compared to when it is legally
available. My wife and I became well acquainted with this aspect of
government policy when we lost our 19-year-old son to street heroin in
1993. The harm argument is moot in any event because two of our more
dangerous drugs, alcohol and tobacco, are legal.

Is it to reduce the crime associated with illegal drugs?

No, that can't be the reason because banning a drug always gives rise to
more crime (drug cartels, petty crimes by users as prohibition makes drug
prices much higher, violent disputes between dealers) than when the drug is
legally available.

Is it a bid to distract attention away from more important issues by
conducting a brutal, Hitler-like pogrom to ruin the lives of the innocent
few who ingest or sell certain drugs?

Bingo!

Alan Randell

Victoria, B.C.