DRUG 'HYPOCRISY'

When I read the news reports about psychiatric drugs and their growing use
among children, the glaring hypocrisy of America's drug policy suddenly made
sense to me (Editorial cartoon, Thursday).

The goal of a drug-free America that so many politicians claim to be working
toward applies only to certain drugs - specifically, natural drugs that
cannot be patented by the pharmaceutical industry, one of Washington's most
powerful lobbies.

New lifestyle drugs routinely are granted fast-track approval by the Food
and Drug Administration, while marijuana, which has been used medicinally
and recreationally for thousands of years, allegedly requires further
research. In the short time the blatantly recreational drug Viagra has been
on the market, it has already killed more people than marijuana, a
relatively benign drug whose pharmacological qualities have never been shown
to cause a death. Nationwide, cancer and AIDS patients are being locked up
at taxpayers' expense for smoking medical marijuana, while 2-year-olds are
prescribed Ritalin and anti-depressants.

So much for protecting the children. One need only follow the money trail
to find out why a given policy exists.

Robert Sharpe
Washington, D.C.