DON'T TAKE DRUGS; RIDE A BIKE INSTEAD

I'll second A. A. Smyser's June 13 column, "Drug policy should stress
treatment ," especially his closing line: "Foremost should be saving lives,
keeping drugs away from children and keeping people healthy."

Indeed, two decades into a virulent war on drugs, we continue to see
plentiful supplies of increasingly potent drugs on the street and plenty of
paying customers in spite of draconian drug penalties and a growth industry
in prisons.

We don't need more jails. We need healthy, vibrant communities where people
lead satisfying lives and don't need to chronically avoid reality.

For example, the Hawaii Bicycling League currently teaches safe, fun
recreational activities to our school children through our Bike Ed/Walk
Smart programs at a cost approximately equal to the price per student of a
bike helmet.

We also offer bike rides on weekends for new and established riders, and
have strongly advocated building recreational resources such as the Leeward
Bikeway. When this multiuse path is finished, it will provide a biking,
skating, jogging and walking trail connecting Pearl Harbor to Nanakuli by
way of the Ewa Plains, providing opportunities for healthy activities in an
area that sometimes feels forgotten.

While we do not link this to a drug policy, one can argue that such programs
help our community by providing opportunities to develop healthy minds and
bodies, thus avoiding the pitfalls of potentially self-destructive
activities.

Khal Spencer, President, Hawaii Bicycling League