LEGALIZING DRUGS IS DEAD WRONG

One-fifth of our states have passed ballot initiatives that are chipping
away at the nation's drug laws. Some 24 states permit voters to participate
in the initiative process and this is where the drug legalization battle is
being waged.

The initiative process was originally designed to give ordinary citizens a
voice in proposing legislation but the people who are bankrolling these
initiatives are far from ordinary. George Soros, Peter Lewis and John
Sperling are three of the wealthiest - perhaps misguided, but certainly
most devious men on earth.

They no longer want to legalize marijuana and other drugs. They want to
legalize marijuana as medicine, repeal unfair mandatory minimum prison
sentences and end, what they claim, is our failed war on drugs, in order to
reduce crime and minimize the harm drugs do. In other words, they want to
push the public in a direction that carefully crafted opinion polls and
focus groups have shown the 80 percent of Americans, who oppose drug
legalization, may be willing to go.

Those fighting on the frontlines of this battle are patient and content to
focus on wedge issues. When these wedge issues are won, they will drive the
wedge a little deeper until their dream of a society, which not only
accepts and freely uses drugs, but also maintains drug addicts at taxpayer
expense, is realized.

These promoters will tell you that we've lost the war on drugs but the same
argument could be made about the war on poverty or racism. Is that any
reason to throw in the towel? These are not wars society can expect to win
outright. However, we are making progress and there are important reasons
this progress should be continued, about 450,000 reasons to be specific.
That's how many people in the United States died last year from causes
related to alcohol and tobacco, two other addictive but legal substances.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, reports that 104 million
people in this country have used alcohol in the past month and 66 million
have used tobacco. Compare that to the relatively small number of people,
14 million, who have used drugs. Last year there were 16,000 drug related
deaths, tragic to be sure, but nothing compared to the large number of
people who are dying from causes related to the drinking of alcohol and the
smoking of cigarettes.

With only six percent of the overall population over the age of 12
currently using drugs, it is difficult to say that drug-reduction efforts
have failed. Furthermore, it took 30 years of campaigning for smoking to
decline as much as illegal drug use did in just 10 years.

Drug proponents cite polls that show only 15 percent of the population say
they likely would use drugs if they were legal. That is about triple what
it is today. However, proponents are discounting the fact that, once these
substances become legal, the stigma will be gone. Also, those who market
drugs will begin to glamorize these substances, thereby increasing the demand.

Although only one quarter to one half of the population believe they easily
could get illegal drugs, only 11 percent of people report seeing drugs
available in areas where they live. If drugs are legalized, they will be
available everywhere.

Drug proponents will argue that marijuana is not as addictive as alcohol,
therefore it is a lot safer and deserves to be legalized. Marijuana is not
safe. Scientists have found that a marijuana cigarette contains 50 percent
more carcinogens than a tobacco cigarette and involves twice or triple the
tar and carbon monoxide. Presently, 50 percent of all regular smokers will
die or become disabled as a result of smoking. Do we really want to
compound the health problems in this country by legalizing marijuana?

Marijuana smoking raises the blood pressure and increases the heart rate.
Many people do have adverse reactions. In 1999, over 87,000 patients were
treated in our hospital emergency rooms because of marijuana. Chemicals in
marijuana are fat-soluble and do not pass through the body like the
components of food or alcohol. The psychological and physiological effects
are cumulative and the withdrawal symptoms do not appear suddenly but
gradually increase with time.

Given these facts, those who are promoting drug legalization appear to be,
at best, shortsighted - or worse, extremely selfish, willing to accept
another half-million drug-related deaths a year in order to validate this
lifestyle.