In response to Dr. Carl Mumpower’s recent letter [“Preaching to the Grandstand,” April 4], while I agree there is a serious drug problem across America, alienating 90 percent of Asheville will do nothing to solve it. In fact, it might serve to work against your cause.
Our Creator gives us free will to make choices and live—or die—with the consequences. Some people believe it is a sin to drink alcohol, and after all, we know the dangers of alcohol abuse.
Shall we then also make a law prohibiting the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcohol? In the ‘20’s, such legislation served to foster perhaps the largest growth of organized crime we have ever seen.
The “war on drugs” has served to grow the drug black market, which has attracted and fostered the criminal faction of society. Prohibit something and its value goes up greatly, thus creating a huge and attractive market.
The war on drugs also serves to stifle the much-needed public awareness and education of the potential dangers of various drug use, which would surely save the lives of many. It creates the rationale for “mandatory minimums” and turns addicted drug abusers into criminals, when they truly need treatment.
So rather than spending so much effort in supporting a local war on drugs, perhaps everyone who wants to see fewer people destroying their lives through drug addictions should strive to end the federally mandated war on drugs.
Those reading this who disagree with me should perhaps browse the Web site of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition for a second opinion: http://leap.cc .
— Bernard Baruch Carman
Chair, Libertarian Party-Buncombe (www.lpbuncombe.org)
Founding member, Libertarian Reform Caucus (www.reformthelp.org)
Asheville
