DRUG ISSUE GETS ATTENTION

I want to thank Bill Johnson for the attention that he has paid to the
issue of substance abuse and addiction in our community ("Drug abuse takes
its toll on Detroit," June 21). I found his column to be balanced and
sensitive to this truly neglected issue.

I only wish that more people in the community could become aware of the
enormous human suffering that exist in this city because of addiction.

It is also important to understand that the cost is not only in human costs
but economic costs. It has been estimated that addictions costs Detroit
$925 million annually in heath care, criminal justice, and social
consequences through the Family Independence Agency.

The good news is that treatment does work and that there are thousands of
citizens who have come through the storm and are now productive, tax paying
citizens and good parents. I see this every day, and this gives us in the
treatment community the resolve to continue the work even in the face of
the enormous stigma that keeps this a dirty little family and community
secret in the closet. A place where it continues to fester and infect our
community's health and safety. Thanks again for Johnson's attention.

Calvin R. Trent Department of Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Detroit