ON LEGALIZING DRUGS

This is in response to Ms. McCormick's Dec. 16 column opposing the
legalizing of drugs.

It always amazes me that those who oppose the decriminalization of
"drugs" fail to reference the Constitution of our country. The 18th
Amendment was ratified on Jan. 16, 1919, and repealed by the 21st
Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933. In the near 15 years of the prohibition of
alcohol, our country saw an astonishing rise in lawless behavior by
its citizens and a concurrent rise of organized criminal enterprises
to supply the demands of the imbibing public.

The equivalent in our time is this relentless and illogical "war on
drugs" that has wasted immense amounts of taxpayer dollars and
needlessly incarcerated and stigmatized many otherwise productive citizens.

My opinion is simply stated: Legislating human behavior is akin to
herding cats -- a pointless and, ultimately, non-productive enterprise.

Craig Aldinger

Southern Pines