POLICE BATTLE UNNECESSARY

Your editorial ``The anatomy and goal of a drug raid'' (Sept. 2) goes
in close to explain how the drug raid was done and why it was needed.
What it does not do is talk about a long-term solution.

Many of our citizens choose to use prohibited and legal substances. A
few users are addicted, but the vast majority use a drug because it
just makes them feel good. Most of them are white, I should add. I am
white, and my drug is one of the most dangerous. It's alcohol.

If I'd lived in my parents' time - during Prohibition - I'd have
bought it from criminals, and the Tribune would be writing editorials
about busts and how they - my criminal suppliers - were tearing at the
social fabric of civilized life.

As with alcohol Prohibition, these raids will continue to be needed
until the drug laws are changed. The drug laws will be changed when we
finally realize that drug use is not caused - seldom even initiated -
by the dealers. We need to bust the drug laws.

Prohibition works only when 99 percent of us agree, and if 99 percent
agree, prohibition is unnecessary. We should have learned this lesson
by now; it has been 25 years since the Drug Enforcement Administration
was formed to enforce the prohibition of certain drugs.

JOHN CHASE,
Palm Harbor