CALL FOR SUPPORT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE

Sen. Mike DeWine's Feb. 6 letter in the Forum sought to inform the public
that the Safe and Drug Free Schools Act of 1996 was under attack from the
Clinton administration, and seemingly asked for our support of his bill to
strengthen and modify the 1996 act.

On Oct. 4, 1999, Mr. DeWine acted alone in introducing a Senate joint
resolution, expressing the "disapproval of Congress" of the passage of a
medical marijuana referendum in Washington. A similar measure was
eventually added to the omnibus spending bill of 1999 and was passed into law.

Frankly, I find Senator DeWine's apparent call for support from the voters
a slap in the face. He worked so diligently in 1999 to suppress the will of
the voters, and now asks for their support. If Mr. DeWine wants the support
of the voters, he should learn to respect their wishes even in the event
they disagree with his own.

Nonetheless, in that his bill increases the flexibility with which the
state and local school districts may use funds under the Safe and Drug Free
Schools Act, I support it. Perhaps with more local control of the funds,
the abhorrent failure of the program in the last four years, leading to an
epidemic of drug use, can be reversed.

JIM WHITE