In his recent column (Jan. 18th), Chino Wilson once again addresses a pressing national problem by invoking weird logic and "out of the blue" figures. I happen to agree with Mr. Wilson that drugs should not be legalized. But treatment and education do work. This is the case for legalization, and it is not "ludicrous." Rather, it is an attempt to provide a solution to the drug crisis.

This is far removed from Mr. Wilson's column, which seems to have no point at all. He advocated spending "15 to $20 billion, which is enough to cover everything." Where he got this amount, how it would be spent, and what "everything" means are unclear.

His other "solutions" are equally bewildering. Mr. Wilson mentions harsher sentences (giving, of course, exact penalties for possession of various drugs). Congress appears to be one step ahead of him here, having already passed harsher sentences (including the death penalty) for drug offenders.

As for "bringing the military into the fight;" where has Mr. Wilson been for the past several years? Did he note the use of U.S. Army helicopters in Bolivia, Navy ships and hydrofoils in the Caribbean, or surveillance aircraft assisting in interdiction? The Coast Guard, without Mr. Wilson's advice, already searches vessels suspected of smuggling drugs (making 173 arrests last year from Navy ships alone). These are all examples of the misconceptions that Mr. Wilson's article is based on.

The drug war is a war that we have to win, as Mr. Wilson notes. This makes frank discussion on the issue really necessary. Unfortunately, inane commentary that has no factual basis and ignores what's already been done serves no purpose.