Lincoln Square Truth sets us free

Regarding the column (Feb. 16) by Mary Mitchell,
"Advising kids to say 'No' when you said 'Yes,' " the maxim
"truth is the first casualty of war" is particularly true
in the war on drugs. A prohibition, accompanied by
harsh sanctions, is a sure stifler of truth.

Mitchell spoke from her heart in her courageous column.
While I applaud her, I don't condemn those who are silenced
by fear of imprisonment, job loss and public ostracism.

Predictably, the imprisonment of taxpaying pot smokers
and the destruction of their families has failed to show
any success in halting the flow of drugs to schoolchildren.
Zerotolerance "reefer madness" propaganda also has failed.

When intelligent teens, like Mitchell's son, seek out
authority figures for guidance on marijuana, they are
entitled to the same truths they are taught in math or
English.

Arthur R. Sobey,
Corpus Christi, Texas

Nip it in the bud

Carl Rowan (column, Feb. 21) asserts that we cannot win
the war against drugs unless we "allocate enough
resources to education, medical care and counseling to
create a chance of drying up the U.S. appetite for dope."
He downplays the use of military force to stop the supply.

First of all, why should we have to spend billions of
dollars to stop a problem that foreign sources are
promoting? It almost sounds as if he is saying that these
drug dealers are just good capitalists going where the
market leads them. It is our fault if we want to buy them.

Granted, the problem of drug dealers is unique, because
of the huge amounts of money involved. People either are
bought off or killed. That is why we need money to stop
drugs at the source. It also is necessary that this be done
in a way that you can't pinpoint the person in charge, so
as to avoid any possibility of retribution, intimidation or
bribery.

Larry Craig,
Wilmette