Pubdate: Wed., December 6, 2000
Source: Houston Chronicle
(TX)
TWO LAWYERS:
Mark Wilson practices real
estate law and is the parent of a teen-ager.
While he supports the public
exchange of ideas on society's "goals, policies
and practices" regarding
drugs, he believes that legalizing currently
illegal substances would be a
mistake.
He believes that the fact a substance is illegal, and thus a
person can be
prosecuted for using it, serves as some deterrent and that drug
problems
would only grow worse with removal of that deterrent.
"We are
winning the drug war," Wilson wrote. "Yes, there are people who
continue to
use drugs. But I grew up in the '60s and the '70s when drug use
was rampant
among a large group. This same group is not, for the most part,
continuing to
abuse drugs and in fact is advocating against the use of drugs
and are
teaching their children to stay away from drugs."
Buford Terrell is a
professor at South Texas College of Law. One of his
specialties is
controlled-substances law. His research into the history of
drug use and drug
laws has been extensive. In an hourlong conversation, he
cited from memory
numerous studies and events and details in the evolution
of society's
attitude about various substances now illegal.
No dire
addiction scenarioHe said that Wilson's questions and concerns
are those often expressed by
people who favor continuing the drug war.
Terrell said that his response
requires more space than is available here,
but he said Wilson hit upon an
important point in his comment that most
people who abused drugs when young
in the '60s and '70s have
stopped.
"The point: Most people will not use drugs under any scheme, and
most of
those who do will use them casually and for a limited period of
time,"
Terrell said. "Legalization will not turn us into a nation of
addicts."
Wilson asks of those who favor legalization of drugs, "Do you
really want to
legitimize the local drug pusher and welcome him into society?
We must hold
the line at all costs; the future of our children depends upon
it."
Rather than welcoming the drug pusher into society, Terrell said,
"Removing
the drug laws, and their excessively high monopoly prices, is the
most
effective way to get rid of the drug pusher."
He said that if
legalized, marijuana would cost about the same as the
current average price
of bags of tea, in the neighborhood of $1 an ounce.
And back when heroin was
sold over the counter, its cost was about the same
as aspirin, which he said
now runs about 3 cents a gram.
If drugs were legal and comparatively
cheap, he said, the black market would
not compete with pharmacies, any more
than the bootleggers could complete
with liquor stores after the end of
Prohibition.
"One doesn't risk prison or drive-by shootings for the
profits available on
commodities," Terrell said. "No dealers means no crack
houses, no
street-corner or schoolyard sales, and no crack whores working
the
neighborhoods. A heroin addict that could meet his needs for $10 a
day
instead of $300 or $400 can hold down a job; he doesn't have to
steal,
shoplift or deal."
The lesson of legalizing
booze
Legalization of alcohol and enforcing a minimum age for
customers made it
more difficult for minors to obtain booze than they could
during Prohibition
when bootleggers sold to anyone with the price of a
bottle. Likewise,
Terrell said that licensed dealers of legalized drugs would
not risk their
businesses for the marginal sales. They would check
identification and
refuse to sell to anyone underage.
"I could go on
and on," Terrell said, "but the short answer is that the
black market and
drug dealers are created not by the demand for drugs
(pharmacists could meet
that) but by the drug laws that guarantee their
obscene profits and prevent
regulation."
As Terrell said, the drug war involves "several complex
issues" that require
more time and space to adequately discuss. And in
response to those who have
asked where they might find additional information
on the subject, it seems
appropriate to conclude each segment of our ongoing
debate and discussion by
mentioning one of the many books or Web sites
available.
Today's pick is a book by Mike Gray, Drug Crazy, subtitled:
"How we got into
this mess and how we can get out." Originally published in
1998, it was
brought out in paperback this year with a cover price of $14.95.
Routledge
is the
publisher.
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Thom Marshall's e-mail address is thom.marshall@chron.com