LEGALIZING DRUGS IS NOT THE ANSWER

Over the weekend, the Roundup received dozens of letters via e-mail
criticizing Payson Police Officer Les Barr for his published guest comment
supporting America's war on drugs.

These letters boast the benefits of legalizing drugs, while condemning all
public monies spent to support anti-drug programs and enforce the laws.

Because all of the letters came from out of state, we will address their
collective claim without publishing them.

It is our opinion that anyone who cannot see how drugs terrorize lives and
can bring irreparable damage to families and communities is choosing to be
ignorant to the consequences of drug use.

If their effects could be limited only to those who partake of them, the
argument to legalize drugs may hold water. But this is clearly not the case.

Even if street drugs were legalized, that wouldn't change the impact they
have on a user's rational thinking or the negative consequences they
create. More often than not, when a person is under the influence of an
illegal substance, they do not take responsibility for their actions, their
families or their jobs. Some users may argue this claim, but the evidence
is too powerful and common - it's almost impossible to find a family or
business that hasn't seen it first hand.

We cannot condone something we know is so powerfully dangerous and
destructive no matter how many people think it's OK. There are times when a
society must choose what it knows is right, and be willing to fight the
inevitable battles.

We are grateful for the many soldiers who continue to press forward on this
issue, whether they are parents, teachers, coaches or police officers like
Les Barr.