PREVENTING ADDICTION

The headline "A General in the Drug War" (Profiles in Science, June
14) misstates Dr. Nora D. Volkow's mission. The war on drugs targets
people who possess, use or sell illicit drugs, and locks them up in
prison. In contrast, Dr. Volkow and her agency, the National Institute
on Drug Abuse, are devoted to uncovering knowledge on addiction as an
illness and finding evidence-based methods to help people recover and
return to full productivity.

Some confusion is understandable, because the federal government is
responsible both for criminalizing people who use drugs and for
finding ways to heal people with the disease of addiction.

Carolyn Davis

Washington