GIVE ADDICTS ALTERNATIVES

Regarding the May 25 editorial about Florida's reputation as the
nation's pill pusher: Switzerland faced a similar problem in the early
1990s. Addicts and dealers had converged on Zurich and Bern because of
their liberal drug policies.

The Swiss tourist image was being tarnished. Overdose deaths had
spiked and AIDS was spreading. Zurich's response was twofold: First,
they cracked down on dealers, and second, they initiated an
"experiment" to expand the availability of opiate substitutes, even
heroin.

It worked. The average age of registered addicts rose, an indication
that kids are not becoming addicted, and the number of patients
needing heroin stabilized at 1,300. Use of illegal drugs other than
opiates either declined or stayed the same. In 2008 the Swiss people
voted over 2-to-1 to make it a permanent part of their national health
system. Florida is doing the right thing to crack down. Now we should
increase the availability of legal methadone to drive pill mills out
of business, permanently.

John Chase

Palm Harbor