FOOT'S IN MOUTH, SIR

To the Editor:

Frank Powell's letter, "That's a brilliant idea" (March 2) was itself
brilliant. Dead wrong, but brilliant. While he thinks he speaks with tongue
not-so-subtly in cheek, he actually has his foot in his mouth.

Comparing drug use to bank robbery, kidnapping and speeding is, well ...
what was he smoking? Ridiculous comparisons and exaggerations are terrible
debating tactics. Prohibition of drugs, as with the historical attempt at
alcohol prohibition, is a self-perpetuating exercise in futility. Substance
abuse is a medical problem and there are a million substances to abuse:

A 1998 survey by the state Attorney General's Office listed inhalants as
the most popular illicit drug among seventh-graders, with 18 percent having
used them. And the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition said in 2000 that
one in five eighth-graders have huffed.

Will we have the DEA raiding our kitchen cabinets? How many of our rights
must we surrender to this prohibition beast? How much more of our
constitution are we willing to sacrifice? Powell should give it up, come
with facts next time and leave his attitude home.

Allan Erickson, Eugene, Ore.