THE REAL ENEMY IS PROHIBITION

Pain can alter perception The Chronicle's Jan. 21 editorial, "Afghan
Opium," said that opium and its offspring morphine and heroin are the
"enemies of civilization just as al-Qaida and terrorists are." In my own
experience, during two periods of time, I have had significant amounts of
morphine and surely it was a blessing for me. The first time was during a
week of recovery from

an emergency appendectomy and the second was during several days recovering
from back surgery.

Whoever thinks morphine is an enemy of civilization should consider
foregoing this drug the next time they find themselves hooked up to a
monitor with a self-actuated release button. This is likely to bring about
a change of perspective when pain begins to bring about a better understanding.

In other countries, heroin is a legal medicine and mainly differs from
morphine in that it is twice as strong.

Larry Nickerson, Houston

Can't stop supply, demand The Chronicle's editorial on Afghan heroin
displayed a lack of understanding on the futility of trying to stop supply
and only generates more street drugs due to the inevitable economic
conditions created by prohibition.

Congress cannot repeal the power of the free market or the laws of supply
and demand any more than it can repeal the law of gravity. The editorial
stated that drugs, such as heroin, could "take years to destroy people and
their families, but they just as surely cause a terrible toll on any
nation's human and economic resources."

Although some people may abuse opium-based drugs to their detriment, it is
the imposition of prohibition that multiplies the social costs. In general,
a heroin addict behaves much better than an alcohol addict under equal
conditions. In the United States, there are 15 alcohol addicts for every
heroin addict.

Jerry Epstein, president, Drug Policy Forum of Texas, Houston