MISINFORMATION RIFE IN THE WAR ON DRUGS

There is too much prejudice and emotion involved in this never-ending
"war on drugs" and not enough reasoned calm. There is a double
standard, and an honest discussion with young people about drugs is
generally not tolerated.

The latest news case involving LSD is a case in point. Setting aside
that the students involved were too young to receive even the legal
drugs of alcohol or cigarettes, we are still left with a case of no
harm done. No teen-agers killed in a drunken car crash. Nobody hurt.

In my pharmacology courses, I learned that the hallucinogenics, of
which LSD and marijuana are best examples, have absolutely no tendency
to physically addict, unlike alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.

My son's DARE program literature tells him that heroin is an
hallucinogen and The Standard-Times led me to believe that marijuana
and cocaine were narcotics. All these examples are wrong. That is not
my opinion, that is basic pharmacology.

The displeasure many people experienced over a jury's failure to
incarcerate is just a symptom of society's obsessive compulsion with
its own addiction, this so-called war on drugs. Let's look at an
example: In Washington, D.C. per capita, $42 gets spent on drug
prevention and treatment and $1,257 gets spent on criminal justice.
This is insane.

I say let's drop the prejudices, misconception and misinformation. Let
everyone talk to each other honestly and straightforwardly without
lies and deception. Take the law enforcement out of it so people can
ask questions or ask for help without fear.

No offense to our police officers, but the people who should be
teaching our kids straightforward information about drugs should be
pharmacology experts; not cops.

Honesty is not the easiest policy, but I have heard it is the best
policy. Let's give it a try instead of looking to throw more young
people in jail.

FREDERIC SCHWARTZ, DPM, New Bedford