DRUGS, RECONSIDERED

To the Editor:

Re "Addiction on 2 Fronts: Work and Home" (Scientist at Work, Dec.
8): A. Thomas McLellan, the new deputy drug czar, won't be able to
shift the government's focus to effective strategies like treatment
and prevention until we stop wasting so many of our limited resources
on arresting people for drug offenses.

Currently, there is a drug arrest every 18 seconds in this country.

As a former Seattle police chief who has seen the ravages of both
drug abuse and drug policies, I hope federal officials will think
about how many more resources we could pour into treatment if we
regulated drugs and stopped putting handcuffs on people for what Dr.
McLellan readily acknowledges is a medical issue.

Norm Stamper

Eastsound, Wash.