ONE WAR AT A TIME

Someone please explain why we are fighting a "war on drugs," the net result
of which has been to make drug trafficking so lucrative that bin Laden and
al-Qaida -- entrepreneurs in the poppy extract distribution business --
will never have to worry about financing their next round of terrorism.

The United States is burning the candle at both ends with its twin wars on
drugs and terrorism. With the offensive against terrorist financial
networks in full swing, it's a pretty sure bet terrorist organizations like
al-Qaida will shift the bulk of their financing to the underground
cash-only economy of the drug trade and related criminal activities.

If President Bush proclaims we're in this war on terrorism for the long
haul, then new thinking on the drug war is in order. Finding a way out of
the drug war could well be the most effective way to deny financial
resources to future terrorists.

DR. R.B. TUTTLE, Modesto