Newshawk: Published Letters Awards www.mapinc.org/lteaward.htm
Pubdate: Fri, 3 Jul 2010
Source: DrugSense Blog

LETTER OF THE WEEK

LOST WAR ON DRUGS AND ITS CASUALTIES

When you lie down with dogs, often you will get up with fleas. Yet
another in my profession (Megan Mattingly) has been tainted by the
enforcement of drug prohibition. Add her to the many, many thousands
who have been corrupted or killed, or who have committed suicide
after being corrupted. And for what? We in law enforcement know that
every drug dealer arrested is replaced within days. The nine
suspects released (or even if they had gone to prison) are meaningless.

A trillion tax dollars spent and 40 years of serious effort have
resulted in a Maryland free of drugs? No. Quite the contrary. Drugs
are cheaper, stronger and readily available to our teens.

Please tell this reader again why you support this Bridge to Nowhere policy.

Howard Wooldridge

retired detective/officer

Buckeystown

Source: Frederick News Post (MD)

Pubdate: Mon, 21 Jun 2010

Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n000/a017.html

Newshawk: Published Letters Awards www.mapinc.org/lteaward.htm
Pubdate: Fri, 25 Jun 2010

LETTER OF THE WEEK

LEGALIZE DRUGS, ELIMINATE DEALER

John Monte (letter, June 16) claims that he can’t get an answer to
his question of what is
the treatment for a drug dealer. I have an answer:
legalization.

If drugs were legalized, taxed and regulated, the black market where
drug dealers operate would be eliminated. Unfortunately, so would Mr.
Monte’s police career of arresting and filling our jails with
low-level drug dealers.

Maybe he can explain how these drug dealers are so quickly replaced
when he puts one of them away.

Mr. Monte also makes the mistake of lumping real victims of crime —
murder, robbery and rape — with drug addicts who are not victims.
They willingly chose to participate in these consensual crimes.

Despite 40 years of waging a war on drugs, hard drugs have increased
in purity, decreased in price and filled our prisons with nonviolent
offenders. It’s a failed and stupid policy as three national research
groups have stated.

When we ask law enforcement to protect us from ourselves, there are
all kinds of unintended consequences, such as the drug-related crime
that plagues our communities, the enormous profits for drug cartels
and the corruption of law enforcement.

How can Mr. Monte support a policy that creates all of these serious
problems?

William Aiken

Schenectady

Member, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jun 2010

Source: Times Union (Albany, NY)

Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n451/a01.html

Newshawk: Published Letters Awards www.mapinc.org/lteaward.htm
Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jun 2010
Source: DrugSense Blog
Website: http://drugsense.org/blog/

LETTER OF THE WEEK

MARIJUANA DEBATE SHOULD PROCEED

I hope Mayor John Cook realizes that the debate for marijuana
legalization needs to happen.

After vetoing a unanimously approved resolution calling for such a
debate last year, Cook and the rest of America have watched Mexico’s
drug war death toll exceed 22,000 people.

Despite increasing troops and escalating a war on drugs, there has
been no decrease in drug use, availability or flow over the
border. There has only been more bloodshed.

Like Mayor Cook, I don’t want young people using marijuana. But I
understand that keeping it illegal doesn’t stop teenagers from having
easy access to it.

We need to focus on controlling marijuana in order to prevent tragic
murders like the UTEP students killed recently in Juarez.

The demand for marijuana in the U.S. is not going away. Ever. It
is prohibition that is causing the violence across our border.

If marijuana is produced, taxed and sold in the U.S. to people over
21, these cartels will lose their largest market.

Jonathan Perri, associate director

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Pubdate: Wed, 9 Jun 2010

Source: El Paso Times (TX)

LETTER OF THE WEEK

D.A.R.E.  PROGRAM

I am writing in response to your article about the “Council unveils cuts to budget” on the June 2 front page.  I feel like you are misrepresenting the facts about Emily Naeole-Beason’s budget cut request.  The D.A.R.E.  program is not an educational program.  It is a propaganda program aimed at young schoolchildren.  The police are spreading misinformation and what happens is once the children learn that the police lie about drugs, they cannot trust them about other issues.

The D.A.R.E.  program has been cited as being ineffective by the U.S.  Department of Education, in addition to the U.S.  Surgeon General and the U.S.  General Accountability Office.  The DOE has banned federal funding of the D.A.R.E.  program in school.  I feel you need to print a correction immediately stating the truth about the D.A.R.E.  program.  And I, for one, am personally thankful to Emily for standing up to end this wasteful use of county funds.  The police should be here to protect and serve us, not lobby for the perpetuation of the “Drug War.”

Sara Steiner

Pahoa

Pubdate: Fri, 4 Jun 2010

Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, HI)

D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

I am writing in response to your article about the “Council unveils
cuts to budget” on the June 2 front page. I feel like you are
misrepresenting the facts about Emily Naeole-Beason’s budget cut
request. The D.A.R.E. program is not an educational program. It is
a propaganda program aimed at young schoolchildren. The police are
spreading misinformation and what happens is once the children learn
that the police lie about drugs, they cannot trust them about other issues.

The D.A.R.E. program has been cited as being ineffective by the
U.S. Department of Education, in addition to the U.S. Surgeon
General and the U.S. General Accountability Office. The DOE has
banned federal funding of the D.A.R.E. program in school. I feel
you need to print a correction immediately stating the truth about
the D.A.R.E. program. And I, for one, am personally thankful to
Emily for standing up to end this wasteful use of county funds. The
police should be here to protect and serve us, not lobby for the
perpetuation of the “Drug War.”

Sara Steiner

Pahoa

Pubdate: Fri, 4 Jun 2010

Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, HI)

LETTER OF THE WEEK

ALLOW POT FOR PTSD

The Veterans Affairs Department recently adopted a policy prohibiting its physicians from recommending medical marijuana to their patients.

Overwhelming scientific evidence has already proved marijuana’s safety and efficacy for treating conditions like chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that afflicts nearly one in five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.  Marijuana, moreover, carries none of the risks associated with prescription drugs used to treat PTSD, which have been responsible for the tragic overdose deaths of current conflict veterans.

VA claims the ban is primarily a response to threats from the Drug Enforcement Administration to prosecute VA doctors who recommend medical marijuana, even though civilian doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients are not subject to arrest.

Veterans and advocates are urging VA to stand up to the DEA’s harassment of veterans and their doctors.

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey, President, The New School

Jason Flom, Board of Directors, Drug Policy Alliance, New York City

Source: Federal Times

Pubdate: Mon, 31 May 2010

LETTER OF THE WEEK

STEP CLOSE TO SUBJUGATION

I am appalled at the decision to extradite Marc Emery on May 10 for clearly political reasons, despite the move directly violating Canada’s extradition treaty with the United States which states that no citizen may be extradited for a political crime.

On the day of Emery’s arrest, the U.S.  Drug Enforcement Agency released a statement that confirmed that the extradition was politically motivated.

It’s clearly targeted at the rapidly growing marijuana legalization movement in both Canada and the U.S.

Since Emery has tirelessly crusaded for years to legalize this harmless substance, he’s an obvious target for the wasteful and futile American “war on drugs.”

He is only one of thousands of people out there selling seeds in the U.S., Holland and Britain, yet those parties are not being prosecuted.

Emery was chosen because he is an extremely influential leader in the legalization movement.

Never have I been more ashamed of the Canadian government, which bowed down and gave away one of our citizens for a five-year sentence for what would merit a $500-fine in our own country.

We truly have given away our sovereignty in giving away Emery, and are that much closer to becoming politically subjugated to the U.S.

Tony C. Quick

Saskatoon

Pubdate: Thu, 20 May 2010

Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)

LETTER OF THE WEEK

WAR ON DRUGS DEADLY

Re: Just another casualty in the criminal war on drugs, May 12.

I appreciate that there are some who will actually write articles like Dan Gardner’s column stating the sad truth.  The war on drugs is offensively expensive, deadly, and extremely misdirected.

The horrible truth is that the criminals who control much of our societies today have all the power on the creation, sale and terror related to the use of illegal drugs.  Giving government the ability to legally control the creation and safe distribution of drugs would take an enormous amount of power away from gangs and huge organizations that regularly terrorize people of all ages and walks of life.  Yes, drugs are dangerous, but they create much more danger in the hands of gangs and drug cartels.  They cannot be all jailed and will always create more drugs because it is an incredibly lucrative business and they, essentially, control the world!

Your children and mine will always be in danger of those who will take advantage of and exploit the fact that drugs are illegal and happily enjoy the profits.  When will government wake up, take the power back and change this world?

Jessie Gogan, Ottawa

Pubdate: Sat, 15 May 2010

Source: Ottawa Citizen ( CN ON )

Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n358/a03.html

LETTER OF THE WEEK

VOTE AGAINST DEA CHIEF

An Open Letter to Our U.S.  Senators:

Prospective Drug Enforcement Administration head Michele Leonhart opposes medical marijuana and works to prevent Veterans Administration doctors from recommending it.  Why should veterans who rely on the VA for health care be denied remedies available to those who did not risk all in service to their country? I count myself among their number and find this discrimination to be outrageous and offensive.

Blocking VA doctors from recommending medical marijuana is not only discriminatory, it is fiscally irresponsible.  When a plant that literally grows like a weed can treat a medical condition as effectively as a costly pharmaceutical it should not only be an alternative, it should be the first alternative.

I expect my government to respect the benefits I have earned by providing the best medical care practically available.  I expect my government to respect my tax dollars by using them wisely.  I implore my U.S.  senators to ensure that these reasonable expectations are met.  Voting against Michele Leonhart’s confirmation as head of the DEA is a step in that direction.

Leroy Casterline, Casper

Pubdate: Fri, 7 May 2010

Source: Casper Star-Tribune (WY)