REPORTS HIGHLIGHT DRUG ISSUE IN TAZEWELL

I have read with interest how the politicians in Tazewell County have
protested the portrayal of Tazewell County in the recent Time magazine
article concerning drugs.

Well, I read the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and I see the number of drug
arrests, drug indictments, when the grand jury meets, and the major
sentences being handed drug sellers.

Not long ago, I read an article in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph on the
methadone clinic located at Wardell and they have 700 clients! This
methadone clinic must be quite a sight to tourists and business prospects
as they come into Tazewell County on Route 19!

I would ask the sheriff and members of the board of Supervisors, "Where
were you, and why didn't you work to stop the methadone clinic from coming in?"

No matter how much the politicians cry and wring their hands over the Time
article, just remember: West Virginia's slogan is "Almost Heaven" and
Tazewell County's must be "Almost Drug Heaven."

Thomas Paine, Cedar Bluff, Va.