I am not in favor of drug use. I have never used illegal drugs and at almost 63 years of age don't intend to start. But how many lives have been ruined or lost due to the use of this garbage? Drugs have no economic boundaries, they ruin the lives of the rich and poor. Case in point, the late Whitney Houston. And you only hear and read about celebrities and athletes when they come tumbling down, not the ordinary person you pass on the street everyday.
Our government has spent billions, maybe trillions, of tax dollars to fight the 'War on Drugs' and what are the results? You can still get them just about anywhere at anytime. So why not legalize them? You can go into any liquor store and buy all the alcohol you want. You can even go into grocery stores now and buy beer and wine coolers. You can buy cases and kegs of beer at distributors. When was the last time you heard of violence due to gangs killing each other for territorial rights to push alcohol? You haven't since the lifting of prohibition. Why? Because you can buy it anywhere. Same goes for tobacco.
Think of the time and money that would be saved if our law enforcement agencies at all levels did not have to take their valuable time to chase down two-bit drug dealers by performing stings and other undercover activities. These officers could spend their time fighting other forms of crime without worrying about who's dealing and buying drugs. The street dealer would be eliminated. It would also eliminate the drug cartels as they don't have anybody to sell to because the street dealer is no longer in business. Making it legal will allow the government at all levels to tax the sale of drugs thereby bringing in revenue as opposed to spending it on something that just is not working. Our court system would no longer be bogged down dealing with these low-life scum bags selling on the streets, therefore freeing them up to do more important tasks.
What about the hard-core drug addict? Well, give them a prescription written by a doctor to get their drugs at a pharmacy, give it to them at no cost; it's a lot cheaper than the route we're taking now. However, each time the prescription is refilled make it a little weaker and slowly wean the individual off the drug. I have no idea how much is spent each year on rehab, but I bet it's a ton. We have products that slowing wean smokers off of cigarettes. Why not do it for the drug addict who is probably stealing and robbing to get money to buy drugs.
I know many of you reading this do not agree with me, but look around and ask yourself has what we been doing working? My opinion is it's not!
Jimmy Moore
Williamsport
Submitted by E-Mail
