THE SWISS WAY

Richard Gile's June 6 letter, "No legalization," is devoid of facts and
filled with misstatements.

There was no legalization of drugs in Switzerland, as Richard seems to
think. The Swiss government merely tried to confine all drug use to one
place by permitting drug use in one of Zurich's parks. Tourists from all
over Europe descended upon Zurich for one of the greatest drug orgies of
all times.

The Swiss then tried another tactic. They set up government clinics that
permitted Swiss citizens to register as addicts and obtain free heroin and
sterile needles for their daily dose of drugs. That was more than four
years ago and the Swiss are quite happy with this program - but it is not
legalization.

Crime has decreased, most addicts are able to return to full employment,
law enforcement is less expensive, and physicians in the clinics have
persuaded many addicts to enter rehabilitation.

To compare a legal drug market to prohibition, one has only to study the
first 144 years of this nation when all drugs were legal, pure, inexpensive
and very available. Surprisingly, rates of drug abuse and addiction were
declining in this legal market for 25 years before prohibition. Eighty-one
years of prohibition has increased addiction, crime, violence, corruption
and incarcerations.

ROBERT DOWD

Miami