LEAVE HOLLAND'S DOPE SCENE THERE

Kathleen Parker, in her column printed Aug. 20 in the Herald-Tribune) ("In
drug war, honesty is best"), advocates the legalization of marijuana. She
reasons that in some way we would all benefit because such legalization
would be honest. I trust she doesn't suggest that the parents of
schoolchildren would consider themselves beneficiaries of her plan. If we
have a problem now with the use and sale of drugs in schools, how bad does
she think it would be if drugs were legalized for adults? Where does she
think the current supplies sold to our schoolchildren come from?

While it may be true that marijuana is not physically addictive, I am sure
Ms. Parker understands the concept of gateway or threshold drugs. Figures
from the National Institute of Drug Abuse indicate that 70 percent to 75
percent of hard-drug users began their drug use with marijuana.

However, let's look at how this plan worked in real life in Holland. That
country's experiment with legalization is now about 30 years old. If Ms.
Parker walked the streets of Amsterdam she would observe a subculture of
juvenile and adult potheads and addicts lying in alleys and doorways, day
and night. Amsterdam has become the drug supermarket of Europe. Every
weekend people flock to Holland from all over Europe to stock up and then
return home, where addiction is on the rise. The Dutch government is
beginning to understand the social consequences of its "enlightened" drug
policy, which seemed so promising 30 years ago. The country is now
beginning to try to deal with these consequences by reinstituting tougher
laws and controls.

We are trying to teach our children and, for that matter, all our citizens
the serious health dangers from smoking tobacco. What kind of a message are
we sending when at the same time suggesting that we legalize cannabis?

Frank P. Rock

Sarasota