'GROWING' RITALIN ABUSE? STORY FAILS TO MAKE CASE

" 'Poor man's cocaine' " (Feb. 9) draws a provocative conclusion that isn't
substantiated by the facts presented.

Although your subheadline claims "Growing number of youths are abusing
Ritalin, law enforcement says," the body of the story acknowledges that
N.C. and S.C. DEA agents say they've observed no problem, the DEA
pharmacologist says it's hard to tell how much abuse is occurring and a
national survey shows emergency room visits involving abuse of stimulants
such as Ritalin have dropped by almost 50 percent since 1997.

So are a growing number of youths really abusing Ritalin? Who knows?
Certainly not the experts you quote. The few facts you offer suggest the
situation may actually be improving.

Bryan McNeill

Charlotte