U.S. DRUGS POLICIES ARE NOT WORKING

It was with great dismay that I read your Feb. 13 editorial, "We mustn't
stop fight on drugs." While you did identify the underlying problem, the
enormous profits available to those who would deal illegal drugs, you
completely missed the obvious solution: End this ridiculous, failed
prohibition experiment.

As long as recreational drugs are prohibited in this country, the black
market exists as an open invitation to the unscrupulous to turn tremendous
profits. By decriminalizing these substances, we can eliminate the criminal
element and put sales in the hands of those prepared to restrict sales to
minors and regulate ingredients for purity, as we do with alcohol and
tobacco. After all, liquor sales no longer lead to drive-by shootings, nor
do we risk blindness by drinking bathtub gin.

I agree that it is the demand for potentially dangerous drugs, including
alcohol and tobacco, that must be addressed by the honest education of our
children. In the meantime, we must finally admit to ourselves that, as even
your editorial admitted, the current drug policies are not making anyone
any safer.

Alexandra Meyerson,

Flushing