There is a middle ground: The use of drugs could be illegal but the punishments could be reformed...Instead of throwing the drug dealers and abusers in prison where the rest of us foot the bill for their treatment, room and board, cable TV, exercise equipment, college educations, and other prisoner related expenses...We could give them a slap on the wrist penalty...maybe $1,000 per pound of Mary Jane in possession at the time of arrest...

That way they pay us while we wink at the "problem".

Of course, if they are caught with drugs within 500 ft of a minor child, then the death penalty would be one of many potential penalties.

But then that would be too sensible for the politicians to explain when raising money from groups like MADD.

Scott