NO SPECIAL TREATMENT

I commend Rush Limbaugh for recognizing his substance abuse problem and
seeking professional help in the past and present (Nation/World, Oct. 11).
It is not a crime to become addicted to narcotics.

The crime occurs when a person goes outside of the prescription and
illegally purchases a controlled substance on the street. Many addictions
to prescription drugs begin just like Limbaugh's. After an operation, a
person continues to take the drugs, and when the prescription is no longer
available, he turns to purchasing the drugs on the street.

If Limbaugh illegally purchased and possessed such drugs, defined in
Florida law as "controlled substances," he committed a third-degree felony.
This is a common charge brought by the state attorneys in Florida. Many
drug users who are prosecuted in our criminal justice system are addicted
to prescription drugs.

Seeking help does not diminish the fact that controlled substances have
been illegally possessed. The state attorney will, in most cases, file
criminal charges against the person accused of illegal possession. If the
person has no prior criminal record, he will be put in the pretrial
intervention program and be required to have substance abuse treatment and
to submit to drug testing; if the program is successfully completed, the
charges will be dropped.

There are many reasons for following this procedure, and it should be
followed in Limbaugh's case. An additional reason for not treating Limbaugh
differently: The others who are prosecuted under similar facts will resent
the special privileges received by the rich and famous, and it will
discredit our criminal justice system.

Thomas Matthew

Bradenton