Pubdate: Sun, 21 Jan 2001
Source: Daily Gazette (NY)
Copyright: 2001 The Gazette Newspapers
Contact:  P.O. Box 1090, Schenectady, NY 12301-1090
Fax: (518) 395-3072
Website: http://www.dailygazette.com/
Author: L.W. Bradish

UNHEALTHY MESSAGE

I noticed that this month's television movies include "Fast Times at 
Ridgemont High" and "Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'" - just two of the 
many movies that feature the zany antics of drug users.

The music industry is equally culpable; in its greed, it has done its best 
to encourage drug use, starting with the Beatles.

The influence of so-called "stars" or "celebrities" on children, immature 
young adults and the truly stupid should not be underestimated. Why not get 
all your advice on how to live from semi-literate high school dropouts?

As a friend of mine is fond of saying, if Mark McGwire said you should take 
off your pants and run down the street, 10 million nitwits would do it.

The tobacco companies are being forced to pay hundreds of millions of 
dollars to fund health care for smokers; so why haven't the movie and music 
industries been forced to pony up for drug rehab clinics and prisons?

It's time for Hollywood and the music industry to pay for the problem 
they've done so much to create.

L.W. BRADISH

Gallupville
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