Reading an article about the bust of a drug ring which “penetrated deep into America's heartland,” I was immediately struck by the following statement from the sentencing judge to the supposed ring-leader:

You made cocaine available to all kinds of people that had an effect on lives that rippled way beyond yours.

Hmmm…What if we changed that up a bit? Like so:

You made alcohol available to all kinds of people that had an effect on lives that rippled way beyond yours.

Or, even this:

You made tobacco available to all kinds of people that had an effect on lives that rippled way beyond yours.

I’m sorry, but had I been given audience with that judge, I would’ve said a few choice words to him/her about the choice of words. “Coco” should merely be charged and sentenced based on the breaking of a law. To make this additional statement is just, well, ridiculous in my opinion.

Coco (or any drug (including the drugs alcohol & tobacco) dealer for that matter) was hardly responsible for the choices of others – true the product he sold may have enabled these people to make that choice, but it was their own doing. I am SO tired of people claiming to be victims when the only thing they are victims of are their own choices. We see this, however, in so many parts of our society. For example, abortion is typically used to deal with a situation people got themselves into through their own choices.

Blaming people for the choices of others, when those choices were clearly their own to make, is a travesty and defies logic. As far as I am concerned, if we are going to allow alcohol and tobacco to be legal, I see no reason why cocaine, marijuana, LSD, etc. should be illegal. Heck, let adults purchase Lortab or OxyContin too. How would that be different from letting people use alcohol or tobacco? We are bombarded by advertisements encouraging people to take all sorts of psychoactive substances – Prozac, Zoloft, etc.

I am prescribed Adderall for Adult ADD – you know what Adderall is? It is a combination of a couple of different amphetamines. Golly!!! I am a crazed drug user! HALP!!!1!

I wish our government would get out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot ingest at their own discretion. If someone ingests LSD and goes out and gets in a car accident, it’s no different from doing the same under the influence of alcohol. Deal with the real crime – if they break into someone’s home, charge them with it. If they steal money from their employer, charge them for it.

Let’s stop blaming drugs for bad behavior, there are plenty of sober people committing crimes and yet sobriety is legal – we need to focus on teaching people correct principles and let them govern themselves.