DRUG WAR IS A WASTE OF TAX MONEY

According to Henry Pierson Curtis's article in the local section
Saturday, we have become apathetic about people using heroin. But did
we ever really care about this as long as it wasn't openly happening
in our own back yard and causing crime in our neighborhood?

I do think that it's tragic that so many people are ruining their
lives this way, but it is also tragic that so many people ruin their
health with cigarettes and others ruin their lives with alcohol. The
only difference is that there is no "war" on the legal substances. And
this doesn't even take into account all the lives that are ruined by
the war when people are locked up for possession. Just another big
waste of tax dollars.

And it's not true that I really don't care. I do care that so much of
my tax money is being wasted on a war that can't be won. But the
simple fact is that the so-called war on drugs will never be won as
long as people want the drugs and there is so much money to be made
selling them. Just look at how successful we have been in our fight
against prostitution

There is obviously no easy solution to this very serious problem. The
only sure thing is that trying to solve the problem the way that we
are currently going about it is never going to work. But,
unfortunately, no one seems to be brave enough to try to take a
realistic approach to solving this problem, and I don't see that
happening in my lifetime. Just don't expect me to care.

GEORGE BUNOWSKI
Winter Springs