Without question, drug abuse in our society has been a major cause of crime and social disruption. The drug problem has been so enormous that some in our community, misguided by frustration, are listening to the beguiling arguments to legalize or decriminalize drugs.

The solution to the drug problem is not to repeal drug laws. The solution requires commitment to a balanced strategy of drug education, prevention, treatment and law enforcement. Softening our drug laws would be a terrible mistake. Research information and data clearly show the problem is not drug prohibition, but drug use. When drugs are cheap, plentiful and legal, more people will use them. It is a frightening scenario that envisions more of our citizens, juveniles and adults, using mind-altering substances that not only adversely affect their own behavior and health, but also endanger innocent people.

Experience has already shown a link between illegal drug use and crime; that even the mythical "victimless" use of marijuana can cause a disproportionate amount of serious accidents; and that countries (such as South Korea and Taiwan) learned that tolerating drug abuse only allowed it to grow to intolerable levels among their citizens.

Those who do not learn from experience are damned to repeat it. We cannot afford to do this with the drug problem. At stake are the lives of too many of our people in this generation and the next. As Honolulu's Prosecuting Attorney, I ask for your strong commitment to fight--and not surrender--in the war against drugs. (Keith M. Kaneshiro, Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu, Hawaii.)