FROM THE FRONT LINES

Martin Sheen (The Tribune, Oct. 21) would have done well to have watched
the PBS documentary on our failed drug war policies (Dan Walters Tribune
10/21) before going to bat for the incarceration industry. I have worked in
a jail before I can tell you, being locked-up with thieves and violent
thugs is not the best way to improve yourself.

As for myself, I have been sober for 22 years now. Alcohol was my drug. It
impaired my ability to make good judgements and made me feel sick and
tired. AA helped me get through my first couple of years of sobriety and
now I'm free of my alcohol addiction.

A friend of mine recently passed his six-month mark of being clean of pain
killers (after three years of daily use). He too, got sick and tired of
being sick and tired and through his health insurance went into a
outpatient program as well as attended NA meetings. He is a happy guy today
and doing very well.

Both of us have this in common: Our drugs of choice are legal AND we are
not using them. Since we could get what we wanted legally we never dipped
into the drug war underworld of dealers, narcs and snitches. We stayed
"connected" to the non-criminal world.

Drugs are bad. The drug war is worse! Vote YES on 36!

Tom Reilly, San Luis Obispo