In his letter to the editor of Jan. 15, “Question failed drug war,” Dr. Amesh A. Adalja concluded by saying, “All of the violence and associated crime from drugs stem from the fact that it is criminalized, much like what occurred during Prohibition.”
That’s not true.
The violence and crime aren’t because drugs or alcohol are criminalized. Rather, most of the crime and violence come from the altered state of mind from the binge doping or drinking, or addiction.
It isn’t a war on a person’s right to his or her own body. It is a war on riots after sporting events; mangling and killing of innocent people by way of doped or drunk driving; family abuse, physical, mental and monetary; lost workdays etc.
It isn’t just the deaths, but long-lasting or permanent injuries and disabilities to innocent people resulting from illegal-drug users and drunks.
Prohibition wasn’t to protect dopes and drunks from themselves. It was to protect their innocent victims.
So, dopes and drunks aren’t so harmless and innocent after all.
Danny W. Shultz
East Brady