FOLKS IN D.C. SHOULDN'T BE DEALING ADVICE ON THE DRUG PROBLEM

In response to Mr. Robert Sharpe's letter in the Sept. 4 issue of The Daily
Herald, I was both disappointed and amused. I was disappointed because he
did not call us directly about our drug testing program and amused that Mr.
Sharpe from Washington, D.C., "the drug and murder capital of the world"
would proceed to tell us in Tennessee how to get a handle on the drug problem.

The legalization of marijuana is one of, if not the main goal, of his
organization - The Drug Policy Alliance. This would explain his reluctance
to call us directly and discuss his concerns in private. I am also
surprised that our local newspaper allowed him to use them for their public
forum.

I can assure you that our Upper School Headmaster, Mrs. Shirley Smith, is
well-educated and certainly knows the limitation of random drug testing,
and we certainly do not agree with him that it is not effective.

In fact, there is very little his organization stands for that we agree
with. The only thing that makes sense is his statement regarding alcohol.
Indeed it is "the most commonly abused drug," and we also agree that "it
takes far more student lives every year than all illegal drugs combined."

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe alcohol is a legal drug that is
restricted by age requirements. Mr. Sharpe's statement concerning "drug
testing is a waste of money" shows his lack of knowledge regarding our
situation. He has no idea how our program is funded. It could be a program
provided by medical personnel who are friends of the school. I certainly do
not know of any "drug testing profiteers in Columbia, Tennessee."

Regarding his statement "schools should invest in reality-based drug
education" we have done this and will continue to do so, and Mr. Sharpe, we
will continue to do our drug testing.

Since he alluded to my educating myself, I might make him aware that I have
six earned college degrees and 40 years experience in pubic and private
education, so I am qualified to give you this simple advice: You have
enough drug problems in Washington, D.C., and in the San Francisco office
to keep you busy for a long time. We can take care of things in Tennessee.

Dr. Bill Thrasher,

President,

Columbia Academy