FIGHTING DRUG USE -- AND WINNING

George Will and Donald Rumsfeld are absolutely correct when they say
America's drug problem is overwhelmingly one of demand ["The Real Enemy in
the Drug War," op-ed, Jan. 18]. While largely unrecognized, remarkable
progress has been made in this area.

Despite lower prices and widespread availability, the number of users of
illegal drugs in America has dropped by 8.5 million since 1985 -- a drop of
36 percent. The number of regular cocaine users is down by 4 million.
Further, teen drug use in America is down significantly since 1997, and
greatly improved teenage anti-drug attitudes suggest the possibility of
even greater declines to come in drug use.

If we're going to improve on our efforts to deal with the drug problem,
common sense suggests we should focus on what has gone right so that we may
learn from our success.

Richard D. Bonnette, President and CEO, Partnership for a Drug-Free
America, New York