Solution to Cocaine Problem Is Legalize It

This is in response to Cecilia Rodriguez’ article (Opinion, Dec. 28), “Colombia Suffers a Narcotics Overdose.” The solution to Colombia’s cocaine problem and to our own nation’s cocaine problem is simple--legalize cocaine. And while we’re at it, legalize heroin and marijuana also.

By doing this, all the problems caused by the illegal importation and sale of these drugs would end. No more corruption of public officials, no more rock houses, and no more street sellers controlling neighborhoods.

How would legalization work? Cocaine, heroin and marijuana should be made available for purchase at any liquor store to anyone over the age of 21. It should be moderately priced so that users won’t have to steal to buy it (when did anyone last hear of an alcoholic committing a robbery or burglary to buy liquor). The heroin should include a clean needle so that transmission of disease is prevented.

Should there be any restrictions on drugs at all? Yes. Designer drugs, LSD, PCP and other drugs that are likely to induce violent and unpredictable behavior should continue to be illegal. But demand for these drugs will be very low once cocaine, heroin and marijuana are legal.

Advertising of cocaine, heroin and marijuana and name brands should be forbidden. It should be sold in plain packages marked simply, “U.S.D.A. Cocaine, 1 ounce,” or in some similar fashion. Inside the package, accompanying the drug, should be detailed instructions for its use, clear warnings against overdosing, the phone number of a helpline for people who wish to stop using, and clear and medically accurate warnings of the dangers associated with the use of the drug.

If cocaine, heroin and marijuana are legalized, will more people use them? Maybe, maybe not. Alcohol’s legal, but not everyone drinks. And most people who do drink, do so in moderation. If cocaine, heroin and marijuana are legalized, the likelihood is that their use will be no more of a problem than the use of alcohol. Granted, that’s a serious problem. But it’s less of a problem than we, and the world, are now facing as a result of the crime associated with the illegal distribution of these drugs.

Am I a liberal, pothead, coke freak to espouse such a crazy sounding scheme? No. Personally, I’m strongly opposed to the use of these drugs. But after 19 proud years as a deputy district attorney for the County of Los Angeles I’ve come to realize that it is not the use of drugs but their illicit manufacture, distribution and sale that cause our most serious problems. The man who beat and robbed California Secretary of State March Fong Eu did not do so because he used drugs, but because he needed money to buy high-priced illegal drugs.

It’s time to give fresh thought to the drug problem. The fact that cocaine is illegal is destroying Colombia. Drug laws are also corrupting public officials in our own country, clogging our courts, and encouraging the growth of new organized crime enterprises that begin with illegal drugs distribution but quickly branch to other illegal activities.

Also, an enormous number of robberies, burglaries, and other crimes are committed by persons seeking funds to buy high-priced illegal drugs. The solution is legalization.

My views are my own and do not represent the position of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

RICHARD J. CHRYSTIE

Orange