DRUG ROUNDUP WAS PR STUNT, WRITER SAYS

As a student and adjunct faculty member here on campus, I feel compelled to
write in response to the recent drug arrests. Personally, I remain opposed
to the so-called "war on drugs," which I see mainly as a war on our own
people. As we know, many drugs can be harmful or fatal, and addiction is a
terrible thing. However, it seems to me that we would do better to treat
it as a health problem rather than a legal one.

Furthermore, we have harmful, legalized drugs in our culture -- see smoking
and alcoholism. As far as I know, there is no lethal dose of marijuana for
humans, and the fact that a lot of these charges were for dealing pot
strikes me as surreal -- especially given the amount of drinking I see here
at MSU. We could do so much as a community if we addressed issues
preventively rather than punitively.

I am especially distressed at the media circus aspect of this whole
operation. I was told a student opened his door to find the press there to
record his arrest. Frankly, this lends the suspicious air of a PR stunt to
the whole thing. I cannot imagine what good could come from having these
young people's names and faces splattered all over the media. I heard
Madonna Weathers on the radio saying that she hoped this would help the
young people get their lives together. I would like to know how a felony
drug conviction accomplishes that when you can lose financial aid, housing
and other benefits.

No one wants to see people addicted to dangerous drugs, and no one wants to
see young people die, but to talk about marijuana in the same way as
cocaine or heroin is nonsense and the students know this. It undermines
the credibility of the effort to discourage drug use. There are lots of
good reasons not to smoke pot, and we can give those without being punitive
or engaging in hyperbole. (We might note that DARE has been completely
discredited on this point).

President Bush's niece got arrested on several drug counts, including
forging prescriptions. Funny though, she got treatment rather than prison.
I hope the young people just arrested get the same considerations.

Teena Blackburn, MSU Student, Adjunct Faculty Member