Keys to Beating Drugs: Education And Prevention

Salim Muwakkil's March 13 column assumed that my appointmentmeans "further militarization" of a "war" on drugs. Like PresidentClinton, I oppose any such militarization and I reject calling it "awar."

Like Muwakkil, I strongly support placing the greatest emphasison education and prevention. I too reject the notion that drugs arestrictly a criminal justice problem. It is first and foremost apublic health problem.

All of America must come together to alleviate the symptoms ofthe drug disease: crime, addiction, family and neighborhooddestruction. We also must treat the root causes.We have had some success: Drug use by Americans is down byalmost half since the mid-'80s. Cocaine use has dropped 30 percentin the last three years. But I am alarmed by the doubling of teendrug use in the last four years.Along with education and prevention, we must have treatment forthe hard-core addicts in the criminal justice system to reduce therisk that they will return to their criminal history, better defenseof our borders and support for law enforcement - including improvedintelligence and international cooperation.Barry R. McCaffrey, director,Office of NationalDrug Control Policy,Washington, D.C.Colonial HistoryBefore Carl T. Rowan parroted Chinese Communists' assertion thatTaiwan is part of China in his March 24 column, he should havestudied Taiwan's history.In the 16th century, Taiwan was discovered by Portuguesesailors. It was subsequently colonized by the Dutch, the Spanish,the Chinese and Japanese. But none has the right to call Taiwan itsown. How chaotic this world would be if every former colonial powerlooks at the old maps and starts to make territorial claims.Rowan said that the presence of the USS Nimitz and USSIndependence in the Taiwan Strait probably would lead to a war thatgoes beyond the region.On the contrary, it was President Clinton's wise decision tosend the warships and Congress' firm resolution to stand by Taiwanthat prevents a catastrophic war.Eric Lin, ArgoAnger InflamedAs a University of Illinois at Chicago alumnus, I am appalled bythe recent ugly circumstances regarding the hiring of Jimmy Collinsas UIC basketball coach. I am upset that the hockey program wasdeemed the sacrificial lamb to move the basketball program to "thenext level."School officials tried to paint the hockey program as a pictureof "financial despair" without disclosing the financial status of anyother UIC athletic programs - especially basketball.Currently, the community benefits from the practice ice rink;it's a place for skating classes, open skate time for urban adultsand children and a site for Chicago Blackhawks practices. Soon thesebenefits will disappear as the ice is replaced with a hardwood floor.As an alumnus, I am ashamed of the actions of the Board ofTrustees, the Athletic Department and upper administration. As afan, I am disappointed in the school's decision to do away withhockey. Paul A. Troy, PalatineBy e-mail