The government offers $22 million to TV networks to help its war on
narcotics ["Studio heads incensed by anti-drug spots," News 12, Jan.
15] and Gen. McCaffrey vows to keep kids drug free [Parade, Jan. 16].
We want to keep Americans free of illegal toxins while, at the same
time, spending billions developing legal poisons for medical use.

Legalizing a drug, such as morphine, does not make it less toxic. In
fact, legal drugs are often more deadly because people believe they
are good for health.

An article in the April 15, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American
Medical Association shows that properly prescribed drugs kill over
100,000 people a year, ranking fourth as a leading cause of death in
the United States. It estimated 2.2 million hospitalized patients had
a non-fatal reaction requiring medical attention; this does not
include data of non-hospitalized patients, incorrectly prescribed
medications and unreported cases that can significantly worsen the
picture as most adverse reactions are not reported.

More alarming yet is the recent Center for Disease Control data
indicating that the No. 1 killer for Americans 35 or younger is under
the category of "unintentional injection and adverse reactions," i.e.,
mistakes and/or side effects of legal drugs. It appears that we should
be more concerned with Ritalin, Prozac, painkillers, antibiotics and
other prescription medication than street drugs.

Dr. Yee-Wing Tong,
Cost Mesa,
Note: Dr.Yee-Wing Tong, is a general practitioner at the
East/West Wellness and Pain Center in Costa Mesa.