WAR ON DRUGS IS DRIVEN BY HYPOCRISY

I AGREE 100 percent with A.E. Raque (Sept. 1 letter to the editor, "Bush's
qualifications are what matter") that George Bush Jr.'s possible use of
drugs should not be an issue in the presidential campaign.

The casual use of drugs does not make someone an unfit member of society.
Drug use, remember, does not mean "abuse," and it is very common, even
among those deemed "successful and productive" members of society.

Politicians attack drug users, even casual drug users, to gain attention
and power by showing that they are "tough on drugs." The problem is that
Gov. Bush is one of those politicians. He has signed legislation toughening
drug laws, even for those guilty only of possession. What may have been
"youthful indiscretion" in his case is now a crime that deserves jail time.

It demonstrates one of the glaring problems with the "drug war" --
hypocrisy. Bush, like many others, has used the "drug war" as a means to a
political end, no matter who it harms in the process. Americans should take
notice and begin to rethink what this "war" is all about and why we
continue to support it, if only with our silent acceptance.

Chris Knestrick
Blacksburg