Legalization as a Solution to Drug Problem

The plans for legalizing abused substances presented by Dr. William C. Anderson (Sunday, Nov. 20) gave an intriguing answer to an insistent problem. Yet after reading the article I had many questions about the proposed solution.

The first question was would the program work? The proposed program calls for registered drug users to forfeit certain rights. The legality of such a system is questionable at best. I doubt that the courts would uphold as constitutional a contract under which a signer would agree to waive his rights as a citizen.

This brings us to another question: Would alcohol be considered an abused substance (which it obviously is), and thus any who drink would then be put under the above restrictions? Another question: What jobs would a registered drug user be able to hold? Under the terms of the system, jobs that require a “defined level of technical skill” could not be held by registered drug users. I cannot think of any occupations that I would like registered persons to perform.

I believe that others would have similar views. This raises other questions, such as would drug users be required to reveal their registered status to employers and clients? Would it be discriminatory not to hire/fire a drug user because of his registered status? The questions go on and on.

Still, the article brings attention to the fact that something needs to be done about our drug problem. Taking apart is easier than putting together, and so I must commend Dr. Anderson on his attempt to solve the problem. I have heard of no better solution, and certainly it would be an improvement over the existing system.

SCOTT HARRISON

San Clemente