A PRIVATE MATTER

The writer of the Jan. 4 letter, ``Corruption abounds,'' says that ``it's
time to treat all substance abuse -- legal or otherwise -- as the public
health problem that they are."

In the past, ``public health'' problems were defined as typhoid,
tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. E. coli in the food system or
a sanitation condition conducive to breeding rats could be considered a
``public health'' problem. But is overindulging in alcohol a ``public
health'' matter? Extending the idea, are the millions of people deemed
overweight a ``public health'' matter?

The taking of drugs is a vice, not a crime or a medical disorder. No one
ever ``caught'' addiction. Addictions are, in fact, stigmatizing moral
judgments. Addiction is a choice. It takes an act of volition to shove
needles in one's arm or lift a bottle to one's lips.

Restore our right to drugs. It is a right mankind has owned since time began.

CHRIS BUORS

Winnipeg, Manitoba