WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

WATCHING actor Robert Downey Jr.'s life disintegrate before our eyes is not
a pretty sight. Some three months after being released from prison on drug
charges, Downey was arrested again on suspicion of drug possession -- this
time in Palm Springs after an anonymous tip to police.

It's been four years since his first arrest, and the 35-year-old actor has
had every chance to get off drugs, but apparently drugs are stronger.

The talented actor also has enjoyed strong support from friends and fellow
actors, who have rallied round him repeatedly. After his release in August,
Downey landed a job as a new character on the Fox television series "Ally
McBeal."

Downey has come to symbolize America's problem in dealing with drugs: Are
compassion and treatment more effective than prison? In Downey's case, a
judge gave him numerous chances to get treatment, but the actor has
repeatedly ended up in trouble, including a year in prison.

How far should society go to save individuals from themselves and their
destructive behavior?

The Los Angeles Daily News

Editorial

Skiing conviction

AColorado jury last week convicted 21-year-old Nathan Hall of manslaughter
for a fatal 1997 collision on the slopes of Vail. It marks the first-ever
jury conviction in Colorado for manslaughter based on reckless skiing.
Perhaps more important, however, the case marks a turn toward personal
responsibility.

Hall was skiing too fast under poor conditions when he slammed into Alan
Cobb, 33, who died of massive head injuries. He could be sentenced to as
many as six years in prison.

While many sports involve a degree of risk, the existence of risk should
not give license to anyone to behave so recklessly that a mishap is likely
to harm others.

It is a crime to recklessly harm another person with a hunting weapon and a
car. A pair of skis should be treated no differently.

The Tiffin, Ohio, Advertiser-Tribune, Editorial