Pubdate: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 Source: Reno Gazette-Journal (NV) Copyright: 2001 Reno Gazette-Journal Contact: http://www.mapinc.org/media/363 Website: http://www.rgj.com/ Author: Robert Lesselles FIGHT REAL ENEMIES, NOT OUR DRUG USERS In light of the recent attack on America, our government should reallocate our resources to fight the real enemy. Ashcroft compared the war on terrorists to the war on drugs. Not so. The war on drugs is a war on American citizens. Druggies don't fly airplanes into buildings. In the name of the war on drugs, we export terror to our Latin American friends. They must think we're crazy, demanding drugs, willing to pay vast amounts of money for them, yet exporting our drug war to them, destabilizing their governments. If drugs were legal, Americans could pay less, freeing up vast sums of money to spend on the legitimate economy. Talk about economic recovery! As a bonus, our relationship with Latin America would improve. Win-win all around. It all comes back to Congress, which began the war in 1937 when it outlawed marijuana, a purely racist law against our Mexican friends. People should demand of their representatives that the war on American drug users should cease, and the resources used should be redirected to a war on terrorism. Robert Lesselles, Reno, (via e-mail) - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk