Increase in Drug Use by Teenagers
* Critics state that President Clinton should be more forceful in getting the message across to teens regarding the hazards of drug use (Sept. 18).
As a teenager, I rarely was tuned in to what the president was saying. It was the words of my parents and teachers that taught me to stay away from the dangers of drugs. It is important that our government address the issue. Yet a slogan (i.e., “Just Say No”) or a stance against drugs from an individual or an administration that does not affect a young person’s life on a daily basis will not solve the problem of children being tempted to use drugs. It is parents’, teachers’ and mentors’ responsibilities to get the message through.
CLAUDIA O’CONNELL
Los Angeles
* Re “Did the CIA Trade Lives for Contra Funds?” Column Left, Sept. 15: CIA drug trafficking is what many Americans have suspected ever since Iran-Contra hit the headlines, and that the truth lives in files marked top secret. The CIA lines are deep and well- entrenched, and I believe they are still being used to run drugs, still being used to support private agendas contrary to the American will.
For proof, look around. What is the organization that allows drugs to flow so freely through our streets? We can’t grow the stuff here. Who gives the protection that allows these poisons to flood our communities, destroying generations of our young people?
A bipartisan panel in Congress must investigate, with live TV and radio coverage. It’s time to bring these shadow governments into full daylight.
JACQUELINE KERR
Los Angeles
* I have never thought that pot was that dangerous. I graduated from high school in ’78 and went on to college. Most of the people I knew smoked pot at the time. For the most part, they seem to have done very well with their lives--no welfare mothers, no violent criminals.
But now I realize that I was wrong. Marijuana is dangerous. If you smoke pot in your youth, there exists a chance that you could end up as a lying politician.
ANNETTE S. FRENCH
Los Angeles
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