To the editor:

The new K-9 unit is ratcheting up the war on drugs. Dogs “typically help with a drug call at least once per shift that they work.” (Journal-World, Aug. 16) As a result, more citizens will enter a system that punishes the sale of marijuana more than it does some cases of violent crime. Let’s look at two cases in plea bargaining.

1) A man rapes a woman. He faces a 155-month prison term. The DA can offer the defendant a reduction from “rape” to “attempted rape” in exchange for a guilty plea without a trial. Attempted rape carries 59 months, a reduction of 96 months.

Before we look at the next case, let’s note that the penalties for any level of offense range along a spectrum. These figures represent the middle of each range. Other things being equal, this example shows how the two ranges compare, according to a public defender who works with these cases. The DA can chose which level to offer, but penalties for each level are fixed by law.

2) A man sells any amount of marijuana over 30 kg. The punishment is 156 months. If the DA offers to reduce his charge from “sale” to “attempted sale,” the sentence will be 150 months, a reduction of only six months.

That’s 96 months potential reduction for rape versus six months for selling marijuana. Do we really want the city to use these expensive dogs to enforce this kind of injustice?