JUST SAY GO AHEAD

RE Drug ads could trigger tokers (NOW, September 13-19).

Historically speaking, the biggest single cause of drug epidemics
among U.S. children is anti-drug campaigns.

The first major teen drug epidemic was alcohol, during Prohibition.
Prohibition was passed in response to a campaign to save the children
from alcohol. Within five years, record numbers of teens were in
hospitals and jails because of alcohol problems.

Schools had to cancel dances because so many kids showed up drunk.
Lots of children became couriers for bootleggers. Other examples of
drug epidemics triggered by anti-drug campaigns include meth, LSD and
cocaine.

In 1972, the Consumers Union Report On Licit And Illicit Drugs
predicted that the U.S. was in for a major cocaine epidemic, based
solely on its analysis of U.S. government policies against drugs.

Shortly thereafter, we had the worst cocaine epidemic in our
history.

Clifford A. Schaffer

Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

Agua Dulce, California