THE METH SCOURGE

I take offense at the comment by Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of
National Drug Control Policy, in your expose on methamphetamines.

It is the ignorance of people like him, believing that people are " 'crying
meth' because it is a hot, new drug" rather than uncovering the truth and
doing something about it, that has led this country to its problems with meth.

Nine years ago, my 15-year-old son tried meth. The first time he smoked it
he was hooked. How do I know this? Because eight years ago his meth
supplier became angry with him, got high on the drug and proceeded to shoot
him in the head and then torch his corpse.

This happened in a tiny community in Iowa--a place that has seen its share
of this drug destroy families. The state and local authorities in Iowa, and
in many other states, have been well aware of the meth trend for some time
now and have done laudable things to try and stem the tide. It's time for
Riley and his czar boss, along with the rest of the federal government, to
get their collective heads out of the sand and take on the real war in this
country.

Joni Tanaciev

La Plata, Md.