PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW TRUTH ABOUT DRUG CONTROL POLICY

The News carried a misleading piece of propaganda from Robert S. Weiner,
chief of propaganda at the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in its
Jan. 11 letters section ("Drug office has made prevention top priority").
Readers deserve to know the truth.

Weiner talked about cutting coca cultivation in Peru and Bolivia. He said
nothing of Vietnam II, however, which he and ONDCP Director Barry McCaffrey
have instigated in Columbia. Also, Weiner did not talk about cutting
tobacco cultivation in North Carolina and Kentucky. There is no Plan
America, using helicopters to destroy tobacco plants in the U.S., as its
Plan Columbia envisions doing to destroy coca plants in Columbia.

While Weiner talks of "dramatic improvements" and a "balanced and effective
approach" in dealing with drugs, the fact remains that ONDCP, the
president, Congress and the Supreme Court are all soft on drugs and have
surrendered to the drug lords, otherwise known as Philip Morris and
Anheuser-Busch.

Tobacco is a stimulant drug like coca, but has a much higher body count.
For the Office of National Drug Control Policy to continue to remain silent
about the exemption of the two deadliest drugs from the drug laws shows
that it is not really serious about fighting drugs.

As long as tobacco and alcohol remain dishonestly, irrationally, immorally
and unlawfully exempt from the Controlled Substances Act, any talk about
fighting a war on drugs from any government official is just dishonest
hypocritical propaganda.

Tom Barrus

American Federation for Legal Consistency

Golden