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Should Methamphetamine be legal?

Rep. Mark Anderson supports bill to fight meth problems

Criminal attorney Marc Victor argues Meth should be legal

Joe Dana

Arizona Nightly News

Feb. 22, 2006 06:18 PM

Criminal attorney Marc Victor knows he's in the minority. But he believes it's time for more people to support his plan. "I think there are an awful lot of people who agree with my position who don't want to come forward," Victor says.

Victor has represented thousands of accused drug offenders. He says they thrive off the drug war. "It's a real business for them. They understand the economics and they understand the fact that when a drug bust happens they can sell their product for more money. And that's what they do," Victor says. He also says history has taught us a lesson.

During the age of prohibition, organized crime invaded American society. Mafia gangs and underground alcohol operations created a lucrative black market for drinks.

But Arizona House representative Mark Anderson, District 29, says meth and alcohol cannot be compared. "Meth is such a powerful, addictive drug that people who start taking see their lives devastated," Anderson says.

Anderson is the sponsor of a bill that would add more money to fight the flow of meth at the border and to fund rehabilitation for addicts.

"You're never going to stop it completely," Anderson says. "But just by limiting the supply, I think you're going to take a lot of people out of the market."