Meth an appropriate target in the war on drugs

I'm one of those people who feel that the War on Drugs is to some extent just a subsidy to the state penitentiary system. In a country where virtually everyone (at least everyone who's honest) admits to smoking pot, the harsh drug laws currently on the books are draconian. And anyone who has been around pot smokers knows that while they tend to be a bit lazy as a group, they don't necessarily make bad neighbors. Meth is a different story. People who have tried meth report that it's immediately addicting and leads to extreme paranoia. These two aspects of the drug combine to fuel horrific violent crimes. These aspects of the drug make it popular with pushers and as a result, use of meth has doubled since the 1990s. It's even said that roughly 5 percent of Americans have tried meth at least once. Local officials from across the country recently declared methamphetamine the nation's leading law-enforcement scourge with most agencies reporting a rise in use.

If we're going to continue the ill-conceived War on Drugs, we should shift it almost entirely to highly addictive drugs like meth. Sentences for pushers should be increased and they should be charged for murder if addicts to whom they have sold drugs die. Other soft drugs such as pot and hallucinogen could be legalized or at least made into minor offenses. The tax monies from the sale of such drugs could then be used for treatment programs. In short, U.S. drug policy shouldn't focus on drug use as a moral issue but should instead try to limit the damage that communities and law-abiding individuals suffer due to the irresponsible few.

FAST FACTS ABOUT METH

• Meth use among high school seniors more than doubled between 1990 & 1996.
  
• Women are more likely to use meth than cocaine.
  
• Average meth "cook" annually teaches ten others how to make meth.
  
• Every kilo of meth produced leaves behind five to six kilos of toxic waste.
  
• Seizures of meth labs in the Midwest increased tenfold from 1995 to 1997.
  
• DEA has identified 20 Mexican meth trafficking organizations in the Midwest.
  
• Meth accounts for up to 90% of all drug cases in many Midwest communities.
  
• Meth kills by causing heart failure, brain damage and stroke.
  
• Meth-induced paranoia has led to numerous murders and suicides.
  
• Meth users are the hardest to treat of all drug users.
  
• Meth lab site cleanups can cost up to $150,000.
  
• Meth is highly addictive.
  
• Meth use increases risk of child abuse and neglect and domestic violence.