WAR ON DRUGS, FACT OR FICTION?

To The Editors:

Is the drug war 'fact' or 'fiction'? Maybe it’s time we demand the
truth!

re:(Study: Drug Use By Rural Teens Soaring, Jan 26)

Joseph A. Califano Jr. president of the National Center on Addiction
and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University states:
"eighth-graders in rural America are 104% more likely to use
amphetamines and methamphetamines and 50% more likely to use cocaine
than those in urban centers, 83% crack cocaine, 34% marijuana, meth
and other drugs have come with magnum force aimed at our children."

Apparently Califano didn’t read Barry McCaffrey's Editorial "Dangerous
Drug Smokescreen" published in The Washington Times on October 7, 1999.

Barry McCaffrey states, "The 1999 National Household Survey found
that overall youth drug use rates among children (age 8-12) are down
13 percent from last year. Among these children cocaine use is down 20
percent, inhalant use is down 45 percent and marijuana use is down 12
percent during the same period. The number of current cocaine users
has dropped from 5.7 million in 1985 to 1.75 million in 1998 - a
decline of more than 70 percent. We have reduced the number of drug
related murders to a 10 year low.

Apparently Califano didn’t read the Dec. article from the Partnership
for a Drug Free America (PDFA). It stated " teenage drug use down 15%
over the past three years". Three years ago states voted yes to
medical marijuana . PDFA said at that time, it would send wrong
message to teens and drug use would go up. But it went down!

Some things about CASA should be noted. It is not backed up by the
Columbia University. CASA only uses the name for credibility. Right
now things are not going well between the university and CASA. The
university senate subcommittee has reviewed CASA and is concerned CASA
“uses suspect scientific research”( Sept. 23, 1999 Spectator Staff
Writer Kaya Tratjak.

Jan. 2000 article by Jamie Pietras. Title speaks for the article.
(Columbia U ‘Drug Think Tank’(CASA) Pushes Lies With Tax And Industry
Money.) In this article critics claim CASA reports “ make fantastic
headlines but they’re seldom true” CASA will not let peer review of
their research. The last research that got peer review was found to be
worthless, that was the “gateway theory” . Dr. John P. Morgan referred
to the way CASA came to the conclusion of the gateway theory was
"utter bull----".

CASA gets between $ 3 and $ 4 million dollars a year of tax payer
money and tens of thousands of dollars( may be hundreds of thousands
of dollars) from the pharmaceutical companies. It’s time we are told
the truth on the drug war.

LARRY SEGUIN
Lisbon, NY