Pubdate: Mon, 30 Jul 2001
Source: Fayetteville Observer-Times (NC)
Copyright: 2001 Fayetteville Observer-Times
Contact:  http://www.fayettevillenc.com/foto/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/150
Author: Redford Givens

ESCALATING THE PENALTIES WON'T FIX DRUG PROBLEMS

This letter is in response to the July 22 editorial, "Appeal Or Repeal." 
The law making students ineligible for federal grants, work-study money and 
U.S.-backed and subsidized student loans because of students' past drug 
convictions (a marijuana citation, for example) is just as fraudulent as 
the rest of America's lunatic drug crusade.

Congress should repeal the law. In fact, Congress should repeal all drug 
prohibition laws because every drug law causes a hundred times more 
troubles than the drugs they seek to ban.

The evidence clearly shows that drug prohibition is a monstrously 
counterproductive policy. Something is seriously wrong when the only 
response to a failing drug war is to escalate the penalties to draconian 
levels.

Redford Givens
San Francisco, Calif.
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MAP posted-by: Beth