ALL DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGALIZED. Yes, you heard me right. More damage is done by alcohol than by all illegal drugs combined, and yet it is easily obtained by anyone over 21. Hell, even though it's illegal to drink and drive, anyone going to a bar or nightclub anywhere in the world knows that, as long as they have an ID to prove they're over the legal drinking age, they will be served. No questions asked as to whether or not they're driving, right? And yet if I want to listen to Pink Floyd and smoke a joint in the privacy of my own home, I'm breaking the law... this is irony of the worst kind imaginable!

I know of only 2 people in the city where I live (60,000+), in the last 15 years, who have died of an overdose (one was a 20-something man who decided to ingest a lethal amount of Jimson weed [found alongside every highway and bi-way here in the good ol' USA] cause he heard it would get him "high", and another was a 14-year old girl from sniffing gold spray paint she purchased at our local Wal-Mart). And yet, nearly every week another alcoholic gets in his car and claims the lives of innocent people, every week a family dissentigrates because of a parent's alcoholism, every day another young person is jailed because of antiquated pot laws - and this is just in my hometown!

I cannot remember where I saw this, but I read recently that, unless our drug laws are changed, by the year 2050 there will be more people incarcerated in US jails and prisons than there will be walking the streets.

There are no moonshiners anymore. There are no dark alleys where people are trying to score a pack of Marlboros. Makes you think, doesn't it?

Let's start with marijuana. Let's tax the hell out of it. And lets do something with that money to put an end to all this madness, like ensure that those who are addicted - to anything - get the help they need.

Addicted to marijuana? Please!!! When smoked, it only makes one feel happy, calm and tranquil - not to mention gets rid of headaches, opens up the sinuses, and gives you the munchies. Overdose? Fuggedaboudit! You'd have to smoke your weight in the stuff, and the average user (like myself) probably smokes no more than a quarter ounce in a month. Would I prefer to buy it from my local convenience store as opposed to buying it from someone who also sells things I wouldn't want my worst enemy to use? Hmmmnn... let's see... What the f*@k do you think?!

Looking over the postings so far, there are a lot of intelligent people who seem to agree with at least moderate legalization. Please, write to your congressman and senator and beg them to open their eyes to the fact that the war on drugs is a losing battle that will NEVER be won. And if any of you still believe that it CAN be won, watch the movie "Traffic" - then come back here and tell us how you propose we win this stupid war. Cause frankly, as a hardworking taxpayer, I'd rather pay to house an addict in a halfway house or recovery center than to pay to house that person in a prison.

My 2 cents, EVE