Re: "Substance-abuse act dangerous, misleading" (Letters, June 23):

Sheriff Bill Kolender assured us that mandatory testing of drug
addicts has been proven to work.

But even court-ordered drug testing results can be altered to make it
appear that the subjects were not using illegal drugs. Any person with
access to a computer printer or copier can change the test results,
and the overburdened Department of Social Services accepts it.

This informal approach to treatment needs a lot of work before
Kolender or the courts can assume that it is effective.

Laurie Cohen,
San Diego