William Bennett Resigns

Like Walt Whitman, the audacity of government officials never ceases to amaze me. In his resignation speech, America’s drug czar William Bennett claimed his “War on Drugs” had brought about a decline in consumption. As proof, a recent decrease of cocaine-related visits to emergency rooms is cited.

In fact, because government prohibitions have never been able to interdict more than 5% of the total supply of cocaine, its rise and fall as a recreational drug of choice is purely a function of changing consumer tastes. Faced with bad information from government sources, citizens make their own decisions and learn their own lessons.

I am all for government “governing” the pace of change in our society, but I wish our representatives would concentrate more on making supportive amendments to economic and political institutions, and stay completely out of the arena of public mores--just like our Constitution intended. Besides, how can a government that subsidizes tobacco growing (a drug known to be a health hazard), yet criminalizes marijuana growing (one known not to be a health hazard of any significance), possibly take the high road in moral leadership on the issue of drug consumption?

This situation is just one more reason why more than 50% of our citizens don’t participate in selecting their leadership.

CARMEN LODISE, Isla Vista