GRABBING THE BULGING BALLOON

Re: "Study: Teen marijuana use drops but ecstasy experimentation has doubled
since 1995 survey finds," The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 27.

Your article on teen drug use being down (or was that up?), "Study: Teen
marijuana use drops" is typical of what we parents must contend with today.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy gamely trumpets tiny 1 percent
gains while neglecting to point out this is well within the 4 percent margin
of error typical of such studies.

Aside from that feeble attempt to shore up their failed
payola-for-propaganda campaign, the obvious jumps out: the government's
strategy in ending drug use is failing, as usual, and will always fail, no
matter how many "feel good" paid public service announcements the government
runs. This tactic is like grabbing a balloon and squeezing, no matter how
hard you try to bust the balloon, another bulge pops out.

Clamp down on pot? Heroin and ecstasy use soars. Do we detect a pattern here
(of failure)? Gee, parents, first tar heroin, now ecstasy! Don't you now
long for the good old days, when you only had to worry about your kids
smoking marijuana?

RICK D. DAY, Executive Director, Texas NORML, Inc., Dallas, Texas