LICIT DRUGS

Bernie Diaz, in his letter ["Drug Illogic," Letters, Feb. 13], mentions the
"unfortunate circumstances surrounding Noelle Bush's arrest on a forged
prescription." Bush is a perfect example of how laws against substance
abuse don't really apply to those in the class making such arbitrary and
capricious rules: The daughter of the Florida governor is being allowed to
participate in mandatory drug treatment, despite her criminal record, which
is long enough that she does not technically qualify for the program. Also,
Diaz neglected to mention that treatment programs such as the one offered
to Bush are being cut across the board in Florida, in favor of much more
expensive and less effective incarceration.

Xanax, the drug Bush was trying to obtain, is classified by the Drug
Enforcement Agency as a schedule-four substance, listed as having only
slight potential for abuse; marijuana is listed as schedule one, having
high potential. Nicotine and alcohol are exempt from drug scheduling,
despite the fact that they take 500,000 American lives annually. It is
amazing that those who claim to be part of the "drug-free" movement turn a
blind eye to the relative harm caused by legal drugs, which are advertised
side by side with ads that disingenuously pretend illicit drugs are worse.

Jose Melendez,

DeLand, Fla.