DRUG PROBLEM IS OURS

To the Editor:

The United States' appetite for drugs has devastated Mexico, corrupting its
society at almost every level. Yet we have the audacity to talk of
penalizing it for not doing enough to fight the drug trade (front page,
Feb. 16). The drug problem is ours, not Mexico's.

The solution is to reduce our craving for drugs, which can only be
accomplished by focusing our efforts on treatment and prevention rather
than on police action to catch drug smugglers and dealers. Unfortunately,
President Clinton's budget still has the same priorities, earmarking more
money for police than for treatment.

EMMETT BARCALOW
Amherst, Mass., Feb. 16, 1999