DRUG ABUSE REMAINS A MAJOR PROBLEM

Please allow me to take this opportunity to commend the Mobile Register for
the excellent educational insert, "Drugs shatter lives: What you need to
know...NOW." This public service is an outstanding example of the
pre-eminent role of the media in shaping issues on the public agenda.

Substance abuse remains one of America's most pressing public health
problems. Informative, accurate and accessible material like the insert
offered to your readers is an outstanding way to communicate the importance
of parental involvement in the lives of youth, and to alert friends and
family members to warning signs of possible addiction problems in loved ones.

KATHY E. SAWYER

Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental HealtMental Retardation

Montgomery