Pubdate: Tue, 02 Oct 2007
Source: Spectrum, The ( St. George, UT)
Copyright: 2007 The Spectrum
Contact: http://www.thespectrum.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.thespectrum.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2483
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1115/a05.html?87052
Author: Kirk Muse

DRUG USE DECLINES WITH LEGALIZATION

Regarding the guest editorial, "Legalizing drugs wrong answer," 
printed Sept. 25, it should be expected that someone like the writer 
who makes his living from the status quo of drug prohibition would 
want to keep the status quo of drug prohibition.

Will re-legalizing drugs create more drug users? No.

In the 1960s Great Britain had fewer than 10,000 heroin addicts. Now 
it has more than 300,000 heroin addicts. What changed? The law. Up 
until 1971 they gave free heroin to the addicts. In 1971, with 
political pressure from the Nixon administration, Great Britain 
criminalized heroin possession and use. Now British heroin addicts 
rob, steal and recruit new heroin users to pay for their addiction.

With legalization and regulation, drug use will probably go down 
because users would have no financial incentive to recruit new users.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.
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