DRUGS AND ROCK

Your continuing articles about the heroin overdose death of Jonathan Melvoin of Smashing Pumpkins have missed an important point.

Melvoin is dead because of our insane drug laws, and the blame can be laid at the feet of extremist prohibitionists and Melvoin himself. Blaming the music industry is beyond ridiculous.

Our chest-beating pontificating politicians, courts and police forces have demonstrated an 80-year record of abject failure in controlling drug availability and use. How can it be rational to expect the music industry to be any more effective in policing itself?

Whether or not to use drugs is an individual choice. No matter how much we as a society wish we could wave a magic wand and make drugs go away, or pretend we can eliminate them with foolish laws, the fact remains that prohibition is a complete and total failure.

If we had sensible drug laws in this country, a misguided adult who chose to use heroin would be able to purchase it in reliable, tested doses, and overdose death would be virtually nonexistent. Instead, we pretend that we are trying to “save our children” from drugs while they are universally available to both children and adults anywhere in the country.

MARK GREER

Media Awareness Project

Porterville