Pubdate: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 Date: 12/05/2000 Source: Washington Times (DC) Author: Kirk Muse Authors: Kirk Muse Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1813/a05.html Michelle Malkin was right on the mark with her column, "Downey and the drug war" (Dec. 3). If Robert Downey Jr. had attempted to take his own life by swallowing rat poison and survived, would we send him to prison for his own good? Then why do we punish people for taking harmful substances? Heart disease kills a lot more people than illegal drugs. One of the main causes of heart disease are high-fat diets. Should we send people to prison for consuming too many hamburgers or french fries? Kirk Muse