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INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC

From BRUCE SYMINGTON of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada:

As a member of the fourth estate, it behooves you to use rhetoric that is
not inflammatory in nature. In the article "Schools target drug use" April
9, the only place the word "use" appears is in the title. The rest of the
time, the word "abuse" replaces it. This is inflammatory and does nothing
but raise the fear factor. It is tantamount to saying that someone who has
one drink of alcohol is the same as a gutter drunk.

Use is not the same as abuse. By using such language, the media propagates
the drug war and thereby is part of the drug "problem," most of which is
that those in power are scared to try anything but the miserable failure
that is the drug war. If the media would make it more difficult for those
in power to continue on this bad road and easier for them to consider
alternatives, we might move to a more effective, humanitarian solution.
Until you embrace your responsibilities, this mess will continue.