Pubdate: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 Source: USA Today (US) Copyright: 2005 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc Contact: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/index.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/466 Author: Daniel Witherell Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1616/a06.html VALUABLE DOLLARS MISSPENT IN DRUG WAR The cover story "Drug agents can't keep up with pot growers" made me wonder, once again, why authorities bother (News, Thursday). As a California taxpayer, it angers me to see money and resources wasted on pot eradication while our schools and drug treatment programs go begging. Meanwhile, the efforts of CAMP -- Campaign Against Marijuana Planting -- and our misguided drug policy serve only to make drugs more available, and easier for my children to obtain than alcohol. It is time to take all this money and put it toward treatment, so we can address what should always have been a public health problem -- not a law enforcement issue. Daniel Witherell, Mount Shasta, Calif. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake