Columbia, SC — The Feb. 10 article, “S.C. meth cases soar as crooks get crafty,” was a perfect example of the failed war on drugs that our country has fought for 40 years with no success.

For the past two years, South Carolinians have had to show ID to buy pseudoephedrine to make sure we didn’t buy over the limit. What happened? Meth use increased by 10 times. Now lawmakers want to make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug? Am I the only one who thinks more legislation will continue to drive up use? How much will that drive up my health-care costs?

The article also talked about a Lexington County Sheriff’s Department team driving around all day, hundreds of miles through the country, looking for homemade meth labs because the sheriff has made meth enforcement a priority. How much did that cost? Was it worth it? Absolutely not. They found no meth labs.

Let’s all stop wasting time, money and human life fighting something that we cannot win. People are going to put things in their bodies regardless of legislation. Instead of legislating, let’s legalize. Drug use is a personal choice that cannot be prevented.

Craig Augenstein

Columbia