THE SYSTEM KILLS ADDICTS

THE author of a letter, Desmond Call, says that addicts deserve misfortune
because their disposition is a "matter of choice" ("Addicts deserve their
lot," Examiner letters, Nov. 19).

I submit that the addict has been robbed of true choice by the very people
who wash their hands of these deaths.

A true choice would involve legal abstinence and legal use.

The addict is also robbed of the choice of choosing a regulated product
with an identifiable dosage. This causes most deaths. The choice of legal
drugs also eliminates the involvement in property crimes and prostitution.

In this world all actions have unintended consequences. Prohibition is no
exception. Quantum theory analogy dictates that even an observer has an
effect on any system. Prohibitionists are no mere observers. Their policy
is largely responsible for the genocide involving hard drug addiction.

Addicts never did have a true choice. Mouthing platitudes about personal
choice does not absolve the prohibitionists of the critical role they play
in the death of addicts.

Chuck Beyer
Victoria, British Columbia