I pray he lives through the study.

ff

The '70's was the countries worst drug problem??? Gee, what about crack, that became popular in the mid-1980's. Or all the meth labs that started springing up int the mid-1990's? Or high school kids easily getting heroin as in the later 1990's? Or the current popularity of ecstasy? I guess those are not problems of the magnitude of the 1970's, when so many were smoking marijuana, that some thought it would be legalized soon. And of course that was the marijuana that we are now told was so mild that today's pot is like a whole different drug.

"You'd find their kids overdosed throughout the Haight-Ashbury district," said Nevin. "So I'm well aware of the dangers of drugs."

This, "danger of drugs," is another compelling argument for the legalization of all drugs. And to henceforth relinquish the reins of control, over the distribution of said drugs, from the black markets. Give the reins to the medical community that responds too and is directed by the people who seek treatment, namely all of us!

The devil of course is in the details.

I for one would welcome the FDA truly becoming the Food and Drug Administration, instead of just being the Food Administration. If the FDA is given the authority to handle, label, measure potency/dosages, and insure safety etc. then we can truly have a Food and Drug Administration worthy of our taxes.

The Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA for short can easily change its role and become the Drug Education Agency, thus remaining the DEA. The new DEA role becomes one of lowering drug ABUSE through education and treatment within the bounds of our medical communities rather than our criminal justice communities.

The California Narcotics Officers' Association disagrees.

"It is our firm belief that any movement that liberalizes or legalizes substance abuse laws would set us back to the days of the '70s when we experienced this country's worst drug problem," a position paper from the group contends.

That thinking is based on fear. And therein lies the fallacy of prohibition.

Dr. Dennis Waitley defines fear as False Education Appearing Real.

Instead of saying NO we should be saying YES and wrestling the control of drugs away from violent, and inherently corrupt black markets. Mr. Hutchinson, I must apologize for my childish butchering of your name in a previous posting. You declared a holy war on illegal drugs. Having been victimized by unconstitutional war, it made me angry, very angry. So, please accept my apologies and think on this…

I offer you the easiest way out…

Legalize Drugs Now. War over!

Lets take care of people by recognizing that reality consists of fine lines between use and abuse. We should spend our money helping those who fall over the line and get ensnared in the trap of human addiction. It is the addictive trait in human nature that is true problem. Rather than chasing our tails by spraying cocoa crops and capturing drugs on the high seas we should being ensuring the safe and reliable availability of all drugs in the same manner as food.