To your editorial, "Schmoke's vindication" (April 17), regarding how former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke's ideas about drug addiction are now mainstream, dare I add a sparse, "Congratulations?"
This reminds me of another saying, "Share the wealth!" But to some extent, both go hand-in-hand as it was actually reconfigured as, "Spread the poor to the surrounding counties."
There is an element of drug use and especially heroin that is indeed like a personal affliction, but other aspects that are a social disease. The problem is that with philosophies like Mr. Schmoke's, other aspects that should not be tolerated are considered part of the disease and seem to be permitted or at least excused.
I personally feel that "condemnation" would be a more apt word as his philosophy has resulted in record numbers of addicts, obscenely high crime rates including burglaries, robberies and prostitution that many citizens find themselves either walking through or having to deal with.
I view a person like Gov. Larry Hogan as the one holding the bag, and while he might get faint editorial praise from The Sun, I wonder if the money should be going toward building facilities to protect society from all the crime that is occurring.
Mr. Schmoke's ideas have spread the pain to people who have to work hard, make the right choices to maintain any quality of life they can create and also pay taxes. I have met many an addict and very often you get the feeling they are exploiting this as a new racket to continue to use drugs.
The only addicts that I know that have recovered are the ones who lose that lust to get high and want to at least try to get clean as they know it was wrong to be doing what they were doing.
Michael W. Kohlman, Baltimore