WRITER SAYS SOLUTION IS LEGALIZATION

To the editor:

I'm writing about "Attorney General Launches Crystal Meth Offensive"
(article, Jan. 28.

About 10 years ago both Oklahoma and Missouri started having the meth
problems that North Carolina is now starting to have. Their solution was to
get really tough on meth producers and users. Now both Oklahoma and
Missouri have some of the toughest meth laws in the nation.

The net result: in both Oklahoma and Missouri meth use and production is at
record levels and epidemic proportions.

Getting tough on meth producers just makes the product more profitable. No
product can be reduced or eliminated by making it more profitable.

There is a solution that would put the meth producers out of business in a
heartbeat. That would be for the U.S. Congress to pass a law making
amphetamines legally available without prescription in local pharmacies for
pennies per dose. This simple solution is the only solution.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.