Pubdate: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Copyright: 1999 Los Angeles Times Contact: Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 Fax: (213) 237-4712 Website: http://www.latimes.com/ Forum: http://www.latimes.com/home/discuss/ Author: Susan Mijares Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99/n1169/a12.html DRUGS AND PRISON (2 of 2) Anyone who calls for a stop to the war on drugs or seeks to decriminalize drug use has certainly never had a family member who was an addict. They couldn't have seen a family disintegrate, children neglected, financial hardship, not to mention the user's own erratic behavior and self-destruction (emotional, physical, moral, vocational, social, etc.). All because an individual committed so-called "victimless" crimes. Just because members of LAPD's CRASH unit went awry, let's not vilify anti-drug efforts. Both drug use and dealing have made L.A. a depressing, unpredictable and dangerous place--in the home and the streets. Susan Mijares, Downey - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D