UNHEALTHY MESSAGE

I noticed that this month's television movies include "Fast Times at
Ridgemont High" and "Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'" - just two of the
many movies that feature the zany antics of drug users.

The music industry is equally culpable; in its greed, it has done its best
to encourage drug use, starting with the Beatles.

The influence of so-called "stars" or "celebrities" on children, immature
young adults and the truly stupid should not be underestimated. Why not get
all your advice on how to live from semi-literate high school dropouts?

As a friend of mine is fond of saying, if Mark McGwire said you should take
off your pants and run down the street, 10 million nitwits would do it.

The tobacco companies are being forced to pay hundreds of millions of
dollars to fund health care for smokers; so why haven't the movie and music
industries been forced to pony up for drug rehab clinics and prisons?

It's time for Hollywood and the music industry to pay for the problem
they've done so much to create.

L.W. BRADISH

Gallupville