LEGALIZATION SUPPORTERS MISS THE POINT

Editor, Times-Dispatch: The Regional Drug-Free Alliance, of which I am
president, is delighted that you have chosen Drug Enforcement Administration
agent Joe Dombroski as one of your Commentary columnists. No one could speak
more credibly and effectively on substance abuse than Dombroski. The
alliance struggles constantly with our concern over the failure of our
region to grasp the seriousness of community problems created by use of
illegal drugs.

Dombroski, we understand, will continue to submit pieces for Commentary this
year. This is a valuable community service. Predictably, however, as has
been the case so far, and surely will continue to be, Lennice Werth and Roy
Scherer, the longtime standard-bearers for legalizing drugs, will respond to
every column. They would indicate that they are not for "legalizing" but for
"regulation," which, of course, means legalizing.

In her response to Dombroski's most recent column, Ms. Werth suggested that
all the problems of drugs would go away - enforcement, high costs (of drugs
and enforcement), lack of public safety, etc. - if people could be allowed
to "buy products they desire."

She failed to mention one thing that would not go away - addiction and the
heartbreak, death, family mayhem, and workplace disruption that are results
of drug addiction. This is not "wanting" drugs but craving drugs because of
addiction.

Fred Carreras