THE ANSWER: LEGALIZE DRUGS

After reading your articles about gangs and drugs, my only reaction is
disgust at how wrong-headed the government response to drugs is. Why in the
world are we propping up this black market system, allowing street gangs to
accrue enormous profits while they visit endless violence on our
neighborhoods? At the same time, the government is burning up precious
monetary resources playing cat-and-mouse games with drug dealers. That
money could be better used solving and preventing real crimes like murder,
theft and rape. Crimes where one person hurts another.

Yes, drugs are dangerous. But not nearly as dangerous as prohibition.
People will die from using them, but not nearly as many as will die from
the war on drugs. Why does our government think it knows what is best for
all? The fact of the matter is the vast majority of people can do drugs and
set them aside whenever they want to, just like most most people do with
alcohol.

Critics of drug legalization argue that drugs support terrorists. But they
never speak the simple truth: Buying drugs can help terrorists only if the
drugs are illegal. Terrorists didn't make the drugs illegal, our government
did. I wish our elected leaders would have the courage to legalize drugs.

Matthew Parker, Lincoln Park