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
How did I overlook this letter?? In any case, here it is, bolstering a thus-far tragically thin 2012.
Below is the letter Danny’s rebutting. Regular readers of the Butler Eagle’s opinion page will recognize Dr. Adalja’s name; he is a very frequent writer and a steadfast progressive on social & religious issues. Most of his missives provoke multiple angry letters of disagreement, though this is the first one I’ve seen from Danny…
Question failed drug war
Instead of reflexively lavishing praise on the Butler County Drug Task Force (I’m referring to the Jan. 6 editorial, “Drug task force must build upon past accomplishments”), the Butler Eagle should raise questions regarding the larger issue of the failed “War on Drugs.”
Because of this war on a person’s right to his or her own body, billions of dollars are diverted from legitimate law enforcement activities, and a black market has been created attracting organized criminals in search of high profit margins.
All of the violence and associated crime from drugs stem from the fact that it is criminalized, much like what occurred during Prohibition.
Amesh A. Adalja, M.D.
Penn Township