LET'S TREAT DRUG-BUYING AS AN UN-AMERICAN ACT

After reading Norah Vincent's interesting Oct. 5 commentary, "America's war
on terrorism has no better chance of success than its war on drugs," I
would like to suggest a possible solution.

Ms. Vincent irrefutably stated that we have lost the drug war because we
have not quelled the demand side of the problem. In that regard, I feel
that we have a situation right now with two predominant factors:

* Patriotism in the United States is currently at an all-time high.

* The main source of the terrorists' funds come from the supply of drug money.

Why don't we have a national campaign to treat the purchase of drugs as a
severely unpatriotic act? It could start by having movie actors and
actresses appear in television ads swearing that they will never again use
drugs because it supplies ammunition to the terrorists.

That would send the right message from Hollywood, and if it ever caught on
could make a major difference, especially with our impressionable youth,
who seem to hold most actors in such high esteem.

GERRY DEENEY