THE FACE OF DRUG USE

To the Editor:

Ever since the news of Darryl Strawberry's suspension from baseball because
of drug use, I've been touched by the pleas for compassion among his fans,
teammates, Yankee management and New Yorkers everywhere (editorial, March 1).

What bothers me is that when you substitute Strawberry for the faceless
drug user, the public becomes far less forgiving.

When the addict is seen as a real person, only then does compassion enter
into the equation.

This is how it should be.

For Strawberry, and for the hundreds of thousands incarcerated for drug
use, many serving terms for the exact offense as Strawberry's, we need to
see drug addiction as a health issue and not as a criminal issue.

Rick Nusblatt, New York, March 2, 2000

The writer is a project administrator at the Lindesmith Center, a drug
policy group.