US wages underfunded war on drugs

Congress does not seem to agree with the article ``Why Drugs Keep Flowing: Too Little Emphasis on Treating Heavy Users,'' July 20, which supports more funds for drug treatment. Out of the $355 million President Clinton requested to expand drug treatment opportunities, Congress has only approved $61 million thus far. This is a long way from our intended goal.

The 1994 National Drug Control Strategy makes treatment of chronic, hard-core drug users one of its top priorities. This is the first National Drug Control Strategy that heavily emphasizes demand reduction through treatment, prevention, and education.

At the same time, this administration realizes the importance of a balanced approach to the drug crisis in our country. Treatment alone cannot solve the drug problem. Supply control also plays an important role. We will continue to have supply-reduction programs, such as interdiction and source-country programs. This is not an either/or debate. An effective national drug-control strategy cannot be accomplished by funding some effective programs at the expense of others.

The success of the 1994 National Drug Control Strategy cannot be realized without proper funding and a total commitment from Congress to reduce drug use and its availability in our country. Lee Brown, Washington Director Office of National Drug Control Policy

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