A VIEW OF DRUG ADDICTION

Re "Street gang realpolitik," Current, March 25

Gratefully, finally, some talk about the dope-dealing pachyderm in the
parlor; however, the bigger beast that spawned these dope gangsters
manages to escape Will Beall's spotlight. There will be no discernible
abatement of malicious gang activity, adolescent drug abuse, prison
overcrowding or homelessness until we fess up to and act on the
symbiotic relationship between drug prohibition and much of the
turmoil we face. We must weed out lawmakers who reject the fact that
addiction is a brain disorder. To treat any disease as a character
flaw is not only unethical and immoral, it violates human rights. Drug
prohibition deserves history's trash heap.

Chris Cauhape

Indio