SHOOTING SEEMS OVERLY HARSH

I feel compelled to respond to the letter, "Drug trade produces human
misery" (March 29). The author makes the suggestion that we declare all
drug dealers to be outlaws. Well, they are. It's illegal to sell certain
drugs in the United States, mainly the ones people use recreationally.

The author then goes on to make the disturbing suggestion that drug dealers
be shot on sight. I've witnessed a drug dealer get shot, actually. I've
never seen anyone else being shot to death, but I've seen other victims of
gun violence. Having seen people die or seen them shortly after death, I
gained a tremendous amount of respect for human life. That's what happens
when you see the complete pointlessness of watching someone who once had
goals and dreams and ambitions, someone with feelings and emotions, even if
they got lost along the way, just lose all that with one quick flash from a
gun.

Drug dealers are human beings. There are a lot of them who are just out to
profit on other people's problems. And there are a lot just trying to
support their own habits. I used to deal drugs a few years ago. I wasn't
out to hurt anybody. I was using a lot and truly didn't know much better. I
didn't agree with drugs being illegal because I hadn't had enough
experience then to see the long-term consequences. At the time, everything
was peachy keen and I never saw anyone getting hurt. I wasn't out there to
make a huge profit. And as soon as I realized that I was contributing to
other people's problems and not just giving people a good time, I stopped
selling drugs.

Drug dealers are human beings just like anyone else. You don't simply shoot
someone to death over bad decisions. Such an opinion also does not take
into account what a person has been through to get them to the point that
they not only start using drugs, but start selling them. Most people don't
just accidentally stumble into it past the point of experimentation. And I
guarantee that most of these people didn't start off as horrible and evil
people.

I would love to see a world where individuals didn't destroy themselves
with drug use. But it's not realistic. The problem of drug abuse in society
should be dealt with humanely and rationally, with facts and science. We
should work to help people with drug problems, not kill them.

David Spaulding

Fairfax, Va.