Page 9 It is likely that drug use would initially increase. Prices would be much lower, and drugs would be more readily available to adults who prefer not to break the law. But those drugs would be safer--when's the last time you heard of a liquor store selling gin cut with formaldehyde?--and people would be able to regulate their intake more carefully. In the long run, however, I foresee declining drug use and weaker drugs. Consider the divergent trends in legal and illegal drugs today. Illegal drugs keep getting stronger-crack, PCP, ecstasy, designer drugs--as a result of the Iron Law of Prohibition. But legal drugs are getting weaker--lowГ tar cigarettes, light beer, wine coolers. About 41 million Americans have quit smoking, and sales of spirits are declining; beer and wine keep the alcohol industry stable. As Americans become more health-conscious, they are turning away from drugs. Drug education could do more to encourage this trend if it was separated from law enforcement.} By reducing crime, drug legalization would greatly increase our sense of safety in our neighborhoods. It would take the astronomical profits out of the drug trade, and the Colombian cartel would collapse like a punctured balloon. Drugs would be sold by Fortune 500 companies and friendly corner merchants, not by Mafiosi and 16-year-olds with BMWs and guns. Legalization would put an end to the corruption that has engulfed so many Latin American countries and tainted the Miami Page 10 police and U.S. soldiers in Central America. Legalization would not solve all of America's drug problems, but it would make our cities safer, make drug use healthier, eliminate a major source of revenue for organized crime, reduce corruption here and abroad, and make honest work more attractive to inner-city youth--pretty good results for any reform. TESTIMONY OF GLORIA S. WHITFIELD Select Committee On Narcotics Abuse And Control Hearing on the Legalization of Illicit Drugs September 29, 1988 Mr. Chairman, members of this committee and interested persons: I am employed with Rehabilitation Services Administration for the District of Columbia in the capacity of Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. Rehabilitation Services Administration provides services to handicapped and disabled persons in an effort directed towards getting them back into the workforce. My office is located in the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Section of Rehabilitation Services. Drug addiction and alcoholism are considered disabilities under the codes and policies of Rehabilitation Services Administration and persons suffering from such are entitled to certain services. My caseload of clients, during a fiscal year, sometimes exceed 200 persons, from referral sources such as ADASA, Halfway Houses around the District, Hospitals, RAP, Inc. and other treatment regimes located in D.C. In addition, I receive walk-in referrals, i.e. persons seeking rehabilitation services on their own initiative. Persons seeking assistance are suppose to be drug free, completed or currently in residential or outpatient treatment and ready for the vocational rehabilitation process. Drug addiction and alcoholism causes unpredictable behavior in individuals, and as a result, only a small percentage of my clients successfully complete the rehabilitation process. My training has afforded me the expertise of working with persons suffering from many different types of disabilities. But, as a Vocational Rehabilitation specialist in the drug and alcohol abuse section, I tremble to think what my caseload would be if drugs were legalized. Our government in America is often accused of fixing things that are not broken and/or enhancing a problem rather than finding a viable solution to eliminate the problem. We all agree that drug abuse is a serious problem in our midst, but how can anyone who has any insight page 2 or, any perception on drug addiction, believe that by legalizing drugs we would solve the problem of drug abuse. Or perhaps I'm naive in in believing that the problem of drug abuse holds even the slightest interest to those persons who would push for legislation to legalize drugs. Perhaps the main interest is in taking the mega profit out of the sale of illicit drugs. Well, to me, that's the same as our government saying "hell, I Want A Piece Of That Action". Why, it would make Uncle Sam the biggest dope pusher of all time. Is that not truly adding to our problem? Think about it. Drug abuse is killing generations of young Americans by destroying their minds, their motivation to succeed, and their will. Addicts are motivated only towards achieving their next high. And drug addiction does not discriminate between my kids or your kids, race or religion, young or old, rich or poor. Families are being destroyed, generations of families are being destroyed and America is being weakened. Yet, America is assisting in it's own destruction. Everytime we make a deal with, or support in any way those countries whose main source of income comes from exporting cocaine and heroin, we are aiding and abetting in self destruction. Legalization of drugs would simply make the demand for their product even more appealing to such countries. Our farmers are catching hell trying to grow tobacco and collard greens, so where are we going to get the poppies and coca plants, and cannibis needed to process heroin, cocaine and marajuana? We would have to import. America would suddenly become partners with Noriega in the distribution of drugs, the Golden Triangle would become super powers and all of those other little countries whose gross national product is heroin and cocaine would suddenly have access to nuclear warheads. A gross exageration? Not really! Think about it. |