ot kids hooked on heroin and deaths increased dramatically. Vidal blames the government for those deaths. Both the government and the Mafia want strong laws against the sale and use of drugs, because if drugs were sold at cost there would be no money in it for anyone. If there was no money in it for the Mafia, there would be no neighborhood drug dealers and addicts would not commit crimes to pay for their habit. Furthermore, if there was no money in drugs, the Bureau of Narcotics would have to be eliminated--something which the Bureau would not allow without a struggle (Vidal 384).
Recently, Joycelyn Elders, the surgeon-general, took a similar position by stating that the legalization of drugs should be studied. Although President Clinton disagreed with her opinion, and despite the fact that Elders' son was arrested and charged with selling cocaine, Elders has amplified her message by stating that if the government refused to do solid research on drug legalization, she would probably try to persuade large foundations or universities to do this ("Legalizing Drugs 26").
If Elder does succeed, despite the weight of opposition, in provoking serious debate on drug legalization, she will be putting her larg
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