by Fred Reed

About the author: Fred Reed writes the "Police Beat" column for the Washington Times daily newspaper.

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The possibility of legalizing drugs continues to arise, often in respectable circles. Maybe we ought to think about it.

When the idea comes up, many people seem to believe that complete legalization is envisioned, so that anyone could buy cocaine at the convenience store, like milk.

New Addicts

Almost everyone’s response is that the consequence would be the creation of millions of new addicts. Countless people would be willing to try drugs, the reasoning goes, since it would be both legal and safe. Many would become addicted, as doctors do now, simply because of easy availability.

Isuspect that this is exactly what would happen. What many advocates of legality have in mind, however, is quite different...