LEGALIZING DRUGS WILL SOLVE PROBLEM

To the Editor:

Regarding your recent series on opiate addiction: As grieving parents of a
son who died at age 19 in 1993 after ingesting some street heroin, may we
offer our comments?

When America prohibited alcohol, thousands were poisoned by adulterated
black market booze. When alcohol was legalized again, those incidents were
drastically reduced.

Today, our children are dying because of adulterated black market drugs.
The carnage will end only when we come to our senses and allow users once
again to purchase clean, cheap, quality-tested drugs at the corner store
just as tobacco users do now.

Let's finish the job we started when we ended alcohol prohibition, follow
the principles enshrined in the Bill of Rights and legalize all drugs.

Eleanor and Alan Randell, Victoria, B.C., Canada