...And I'm out in the nine-deuce Cad'

We are approaching the six month anniversary of the infamous Halloween shooting which left one person dead and another paralyzed, and the Howard County Police have not been able to stick any charges to the shooter. Explore Howard reported today that the Feds have charged two people who were initially suspects in the shooting with gun and drug charges:

After the shooting at the Halloween house party in Columbia — which left one man dead and another paralyzed — Howard County police searched Schroyer’s trailer and found a shotgun and a handgun, ammunition, marijuana, scales and packaging material.

Based on that search, federal prosecutors allege that between August and the shooting, Schroyer and Dixon were engaged in drug dealing and were in possession of firearms during that activity.

The reason these guys are selling marijuana is because legitimate business people are unable to do so, yet intense consumer demand persists. They are chasing the extremely high profits that our misguided drug policies produce. Since the dealers can't rely on the police to protect them or their stash, they need to carry guns to provide their own protection.

The choice our political "leaders" have made with current drug policy is not to have a society free of drugs, but rather to have a society where gun toting outlaws sell drugs to anyone, including children. Additionally, the profits from the drug trade remain untaxed under our current system.

One alternative to the our current drug policy is to legalize drugs and regulate them like alcohol. The blood of people killed and resources wasted on the drug war is the fault of people who refuse to support this no-brainer of a policy improvement. Just so you know.