FIGHTING THE DRUG WAR

To the Editor:

The news from the drug front discussed by A. M. Rosenthal (column, April
14) presents a mixed picture.

Scientific data about the short- and long-term effects on the brain of
drugs like cocaine and marijuana are increasing, as is our ability to treat
addicts.

We continue to learn more about the commonality of the way these drugs act
and how they hijack the brain, eroding, but not erasing, the ability to
control their use. We are improving our medications and our behavioral
interventions. Yet at the same time millions of dollars are poured into the
fray by legalizers and their sympathizers -- who flood newspapers with
letters whenever an anti-legalization view like Mr. Rosenthal's appears,
helping cloud the issues of drug glamorization and the dramatic rise in
adolescent drug use. HERBERT D. KLEBER , M.D.

Medical Director, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse New
York, April 17, 1998