cannabisnews.com: Child Abuse, Drug Abuse are Two Separate Issues Child Abuse, Drug Abuse are Two Separate Issues Posted by CN Staff on August 12, 2002 at 16:03:59 PT By Daniel Butterworth Source: Amarillo Globe-News I am writing in response to your editorial, "Drug legalization not child's play."For the state to remove a child from the home of an alcohol abuser, evidence of actual abuse must exist. The same should be true for those who use other drugs, but it is not. The state can remove a child from the home of a parent who smokes the occasional joint simply if the parent refuses to quit or get therapy, regardless of parenting skills. Child abuse and drug use are separate issues, as is evidenced by the very small percentage of drug users who do abuse their children (the number is comparable to those who do not use illegal drugs).Your editorial also misrepresents the drug policy reform movement by assuming that legalization means a free-for-all. Those who advocate legalization also advocate regulation. Drugs should not be sold to minors; people should not be allowed to drive while impaired by drugs, including alcohol; and people should know what they are getting when they do buy these substances.All of these are impossible to regulate as long as these drugs remain illegal. As a result, people die; children end up parentless.Near the end of your editorial, you wrote, "The argument has to be expanded from individual rights to personal responsibility and the welfare of children." Yet, you advocated a system that ascribes individual actions to substances they take and that makes the government responsible for its citizens' decisions with regard to some drugs, thereby negating your own argument for personal responsibility.Further, you have not convinced me that drug use by adults in itself harms children. If a parent abuses a child, go after the parent. But don't go after parents simply because they choose to relax with a joint rather than a glass of wine.Daniel ButterworthLubbockSource: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)Author: Daniel ButterworthPublished: Monday, August 12, 2002Copyright: 2002 Amarillo Globe-NewsWebsite: http://www.amarillonet.com/Contact: letters amarillonet.comRelated Article:Drug Legalization Not Child's Play http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13602.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by Zero_G on August 13, 2002 at 11:52:28 PT Congratulations! Well done, indeed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on August 13, 2002 at 05:19:45 PT: Bang on target, Professor Dan! And the nicest part about it - other than you ever so deftly sticking it to the anti by puncturing the rationale they fronted - is that we saw it here, first.I've said this before; the amount of writing talent I read here every day is amazing to behold. Anyone here could hold his or her own against the most virulent anti, simply by sheer intellectual force.Which is why so few antis ever show up...and none have ever directly answered a challenge.Keep up the great work, Dan! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Dan B on August 12, 2002 at 23:17:48 PT: Taking a bow Thanks. I'm glad to finally get another LTE published (it has been more than a year since the last one), and I am especially gratified that others have found what I wrote . . . well, worth writing.Of course, I wouldn't have had the knowledge to write it without a constant stream of information from Cannabis News, so I have to send the accolades back to FoM. Without her, I (and a lot of others) would know far less about all aspects of the drug war. So, thanks, FoM.Dan B [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on August 12, 2002 at 19:25:22 PT Thank you, Dan B. You said what needed to be said, what we all wanted to say, and you said it so well. Thank you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 12, 2002 at 18:09:00 PT Dan You said a lot. Keep on writing. We need articles that hit home like yours did. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by mayan on August 12, 2002 at 17:59:25 PT Right On, Dan!!! Is this our Dan B? Right on Dan! Very well put!unrelated -Secret Hearings Conceal 9/11 Terrorist Links to Congress & White House: http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/b3/21/200208091051.a7b284a2.htmlSeeking Understanding About 9-11:IS THE EMPIRE ABOUT OIL? -- A Response to the Naysayers - http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/080802_oil_empire.htmlNew York Firefighters’ Final Words Fuel Burning Questions About 9-11: http://americanfreepress.net/08_09_02/New_York_Firefighters__/new_york_firefighters__.htmlTHE TRUTH ABOUT SEPTEMBER 11: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=127&ncid=748&e=1&u=/020808/7/1zzsm.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Toker00 on August 12, 2002 at 17:58:13 PT Thanks, Dan B. ...for taking the words right out of our mouths! You have a strong voice, my friend. Don't give 'em an inch, bro.And thanks, again.Peace. Realize, then Legalize. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by MDG on August 12, 2002 at 16:08:41 PT Nice job, Dan B!!! How does it feel to be "published"? 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