ROCKEFELLER DRUG LAWS DON'T PROTECT US

It was with great sadness that I read your March 8 piece "Cops believe that
teen was duped by drug dealers." Unfortunately, this tragedy is certainly
not an isolated incident.

Many of us who read these stories everyday have come to realize that it is
our so-called "War on Drugs" that is directly responsible for the crime and
misery that they relate. As long as recreational drugs are illegal in this
country, the black-market exists as an open invitation for the unscrupulous
to make tremendous profits with little or no regard for our children.

In New York state, we have compounded this problem with the Rockefeller
drug laws, which mandate prison time for all convicted drug-offenders over
the age of 18. These laws have forced dealers to recruit young people, like
the mentally disabled young man in your story, whom they find easy to
frighten and control.

It is time for New Yorkers to realize that the Rockefeller laws are not
protecting any of us from drugs and drug-related crime, and have instead
turned our children into targets for dealers. We, as voters and
legislators, need to repeal these laws to prevent future children from
being used and mistreated in this way.

Alexandra Meyerson, Flushing