The Oct. 7 article about I-685 and George Soros was a bit
unbalanced in its format. People who cannot volunteer time to
further the cause of sane drug policies do the next best think
and that is to financially support others who do.

Your article made it appear that George Soros had something to
gain by donating a large sum of money to the initiative. He is
not going to gain anything more that we are by passing I-685.

Keeping non-violent offenders out of overcrowded prisons is a good
idea.

People with illict drug problems need the amae kind of love and
respect we should be giving to those addicted to alcohol and
tobacco. Their sickness is better treated as a health problem
than as a crime. Studies show that some 20 percent of Washington
state residents routinely use illicit drugs.

Now think, if we really wanted to pursue the war on "some' drugs,
one-fifth of our state would be in jail. Maybe that's what it
will take for people to see that the proven Europican approach to
drug sanity works. But this argument belies the urgent fact tha
tsick people need whatever medicne works. I am sure if one of us
were sick in bed with bone cancer, we would do whatever it took
to keep peaceful in our last days.

James Burke
Olympia, WA