Drug Abuse

                                                                10/13/2008
Dear Editor,

           In the last month I attended the funeral of another victim of America's Drug War. Like fruit plucked from the branch before it has ripened many of our children dead and many more to die as a result of this shameful "drug war".

           With police and prosecutors pressuring young people to entrap their friends and even relatives with a false promise of making it easier for themselves the destruction of more young lives is put in motion. If the young victim cannot afford a lawyer and the court imposes fines; prison is the next stop on the legal conveyor belt. It is here that many of our young people are victimized again with prison rape and fear. Their pain and humiliation is falsely eased by resorting to heroin which is readily available in most American prisons. Because heroin is illegal and unregulated it kills when too pure or too impure. This is basically what led to the death of Ocean City's latest victim.

           A sad funeral follows with inspirational words designed to inspire hope as we try to get on with our lives until we are jarred back to reality with another unnecessary death.

           When will our church leaders and ordinary citizens rise up and say "NO MORE!" This is what finally brought an end to the senseless deaths and violence caused by Alcohol Prohibition.

           As a Physician I have a front row seat on this 'Drug War'. No illegal drug is more addicting then nicotine. No illegal drug more physically harmful then alcohol. Most disturbing of all is no illegal drug is more harmful to our young people then the punishments they receive from a "Just Ice" system more concerned with making money then creating a more honest, compassionate and just society.

           The prosecution of people in the name of the "drug war" often requires police infringement of Constitutional protections that safeguard individual freedom. Orson Wells made a prophetic statement: "Only in a police state is the job of a policeman easy."

           My friend, Retired Police Captain Peter Christ (founder of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, www.leap.org) has the clearest statement regarding drug prohibition: "If you want to keep young people selling drugs in their schools and on the streets just keep them illegal".

           Hypocrisy is the major character defect of many who promote and profit from America's shameful drug war. The true hypocrite ceases to perceive his own deception and can lie with sincerity. Those drug war zealots who lose track of their hypocrisy and consider it virtuous are the most dangerous of all.

           We must start to make the myths of America a reality, i.e. a land of freedom where her people may pursue life, liberty and happiness. A major start to ending the death and violence is to control and regulate all substances that presently create the 'drug war'.

           Sincerely yours,
           Steven Fenichel, M.D.
           2117 Bay Ave
           Ocean City, NJ 08226
           609 3981934 (home)
           609 7410162(cell)