'WAR ON DRUGS' IS REAL ENEMY

Several recent letters have blamed drug trafficking for the horrible
arson-murders allegedly committed by a drug dealer in Baltimore. "To win
the war on drugs," one writer said, "the ordinary citizens have to decide
they are not going to take it anymore" ("Rally around ideals the Dawsons
upheld," letters, Oct. 23).

What we must stop putting up with is the drug war. It should be obvious
that if drugs were legal these murders would not have occurred.

Liquor dealers generally do not murder people. The more we prosecute the
drug war, the more murders, robberies, burglaries and shoplifting we will have.

The only way to put illegal drug dealers out of business is to legalize drugs.

Let's face it -- people are not going to stop using drugs. Either we allow
them to do so safely and help those who become addicted, as we do regarding
alcohol, or we continue to destroy our society by fighting the drug war.

Henry Cohen

Baltimore