DEA'S TARGETS MISPLACED

Re: "Paying price of terrorism - DEA Museum's traveling exhibit makes case that
American addictions fund extremists," Tuesday news story.

It's a twist of irony that the Drug Enforcement Administration is pushing its
Target America exhibit tour in Dallas to show us that the "war on drugs" plays
an important role in fighting the "war on terrorism." During the months
following the Sept. 11 tragedy, while the nation's mind was on how to deal with
future threats (rather than on the failed drug war), the DEA implemented its
own all-out "war on terrorism" throughout California and the "terrorist
supporters" targeted by the DEA turned out to be people suffering from terminal
illnesses such as AIDS and cancer and the clinics and growers licensed by the
state to distribute the cannabis to these patients. Moreover, polls have
continually shown about 80 percent of the Americans are in favor of medical
marijuana.

Will the sick and dying continue being future targets of the DEA's "war on
drugs" now being painted as a "war on terrorism"?

Craig Johnson, Carrollton, President

Students for Sensible Drug Policy

University of Texas at Dallas