'LEGALIZE IT'

Editor:

Drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey rightly observes the burgeoning of the
U.S. prison population occurring under his Drug War regime (Donna
Porstner's 4/3/99 article). He says that, unless we do something
about it, it will rise further. There's a problem here. McCaffrey's a
drug war hawk. He favors only measures that escalate coercion
against those using politically incorrect pleasure drugs. Any response
he marshals will lead inexorably to more millions of inmates.

The whole drug-war system is corrupt and dishonest from the top
down.

Legalize it. Regulate it. Disseminate factual information about drugs
(not the familiar propaganda). Treat true addicts. And throw out the
political bums who keep ratcheting up the prison population. Start
with Gen. McCaffrey.

PAUL M. BISCHKE

St. Paul, Minnesota