Alternatives needed for drug-case penalties
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Re “L.A. Dope Peddler Catches a Big Break,” column, Sept. 14
The district attorney, the police chief, the mayor, the sheriff, county supervisors and judges can yell at each other all they want, but it won’t change the fact that the jails are full. Shall we build more jails?
Evidently, incarceration doesn’t slow down the drug dealers, even those housed in Colorado’s “Supermax” prison (“Drug Web Reportedly Spun in Cell,” Sept. 13).
Perhaps it’s time to consider some rational alternatives, such as treating these drugs the same way we treat aspirin, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and other federally blessed drugs, i.e. with Food and Drug Administration safety standards, taxation and public education. Then maybe our law enforcement officers could stop spinning their wheels in skid row and deal with real crime in the city.
DARREN KESSNER
Los Angeles
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