CONGRESS WON'T SLOW STEROID USE

The flurry of proposed federal legislation on steroids as reported by the
Mercury News (Page 1A, May 20) obscures a difficult truth: One of the last
places we should expect to find honesty, courage or imagination on drug
policy is the U.S. Congress.

For decades, the bipartisan disaster of the "War on Drugs" has featured the
same tough talk, increasingly harsh penalties and posturing that we see
today. But more Americans are now addicted to, dependent on, abusing or
using a wider variety of substances than ever. Why should we expect a
different outcome on steroids if we're using the same approaches?

Steve Beitler

Palo Alto