THE REAL INJUSTICE

Regarding ''Wrong issue alarms Ashcroft'' [Letters, Feb. 20]: Louis
Silverstein is absolutely right about culture wars heating up.

In addition to spending tax dollars covering a classical Spirit of Justice
statue that offends Attorney General John Ashcroft, the Bush administration
is now pushing ''compassionate coercion'' for users of certain drugs.
Coerced treatment does not distinguish between occasional use and chronic
abuse. Given that only users of politically incorrect drugs are threatened
with jail, the nation's millions of marijuana smokers are the most likely
target of Bush's ''compassion.'' Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if
abused, but arrests and forced treatment are hardly appropriate health
interventions. Diet is the No. 1 determinant of health outcomes. Do we
really want the government monitoring everything that goes into our bodies?
And if it is the proper role of government to punish citizens for unhealthy
choices, why target marijuana? Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been
shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive
properties of tobacco.

Unfortunately, marijuana continues to represent the counterculture of the
1960s to reactionaries intent on legislating their version of morality. The
United States now has the highest incarceration rate in the world, in large
part because of the war on some drugs. This country cannot afford to
continue subsidizing the prejudices of culture warriors to the tune of $50
billion annually.

Robert Sharpe, program officer
Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.