SOCIETY PROGRAMMED TO RELY ON DRUGS

To the editor: Re: 'A new war on drugs,' story, April 12. No society can
shift its thinking to a drug-free approach when they have been taught since
childhood to believe they can't live without drugs.

As long as society makes a distinction between legal and illegal drugs, the
war on drugs will never be won. Having the mindset that some drugs are
deemed harmful and illegal while others, prescribed by a doctor, are
believed to be safe, has had fatal consequences.

Over 100,000 people die unnecessarily every year in the United States and
Canada from reactions to properly prescribed medications. Ten thousand die
annually from illegal drugs. Though some medications may be beneficial and
even lifesaving, the excessive use of medications has been well documented
to cause harm.

The pharmaceutical industry spends millions of dollars every year
convincing people they have a lotion, potion or pill to treat every ailment
and that drugs are the answer to all health problems. No wonder some will
turn to illegal drugs to reduce their pain or increase their pleasure, they
have been programmed to do so!

Dr. Robert Sasse, Pickering