REP. Tom Campbell's association with the Green Party in his effort to
alter our drug policy (Page 3B, May 16) should not come as a surprise,
as both the Democrats and Republicans are entrenched in our current
war on drugs.

Any politician who proposes even the slightest form of alternate drug
abuse solutions is immediately condemned by the narco-industrial
complex. Prohibitionists are determined to imprison more and more
non-violent drug offenders while passing more and more draconian drug
laws. Mr. Campbell is only suggesting trying alternative solutions to
the drug problem while his senatorial opponent, Dianne Feinstein,
continues to promote expansion of our current failed policies while
insisting it's all to save the children.

If Ms. Feinstein is so confident that prison is such a terrific
solution to drug abuse, why not propose throwing all the alcoholics in
the slammer?

One has to wonder, how many more millions of drug users have to be
imprisoned before the drug warriors will consider the ``war'' won?

Tom Campbell should be commended for his bravery in speaking out on an
issue that will only bring to him severe criticism from both his own
Republican Party and the Democrats. Drug abuse policy is the one issue
on which both parties agree: more of the same. Campbell recognizes
that the drug war has turned into pharmacological McCarthyism and it's
time to change course and accept the fact that it is our drug laws,
not the drugs themselves, that are causing such havoc in our society.

There are other solutions to the drug problem and I, for one, believe
Congressman Campbell is on the right track.

Martin Kavanagh,
Saratoga