REGULATE SALE OF DRUGS TO QUASH SECRET CARTELS

Micheal Moore

Shreveport

Re: June 13 letter by Rick Porter titled "Nation would be unwise to
legalize illicit drugs."

I just had to add my 2 cents' worth regarding this letter and the June 9
letter by Alan Randell. Many would consider Randell an ultra liberal due to
his stance on the legalization of drug use. I side with Randell. Porter, on
the other hand, would be considered a "moderate" conservative since he
expounds his belief of the "evils" of drug use.

What I find interesting from the conservatives' side is their failure to
recognize the harm done to individuals incarcerated for nonviolent drug
offenses. These particular men and women are being punished for what
essentially is a victimless crime. To that, the conservatives would respond
by saying, "but their drug use feeds the drug cartels, thus enabling a
cycle of violence."

This violence is not caused by drug use but by a government that creates an
atmosphere for which the dealers jockey for higher positions with a
"commodity" that should be governmentally licensed. The drug user's crime
is a personal one. If the government would just begin regulating the sale
of these illegal narcotics, thus reducing or even illuminating the need for
these underground cartels, we would see a major reduction in drug-related
crimes.

As for whether the legalization of drugs would cause more people to start
using drugs, I ask: "Would you, being of sound mind and body, start using
any of these drugs simply because they became legal, knowing the physical
harm caused by their use?"

I didn't think so.