Pubdate: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 Source: Ogdensburg Journal/Advance News (NY) Copyright: 2001 St. Lawrence County Newspapers Corp Address: P.O. Box 409, Ogdensburg, New York 13669 Contact: Accepts LTEs by mail only! Website: http://www.ogd.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/689 NOTE: Accepts LTEs by mail only! Must be signed w/phone# DRUG TASK FORCE St Lawrence Count Sheriff Gary Jarvis, the St. Lawrence County Drug Task Force and the Ogdensburg Police Department's Drug Task Force deserve the public's thanks this morning for their efforts to put a dent in the North Country's narcotics trafficking. The Drug Task Force, joined by a host of local, state and federal agencies, fanned out at day break across the county with more than 50 arrest warrants for suspected drug traffickers. The dealers are accused of peddling LSD, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana to our children. While there are those who continue to claim that there is nothing wrong with peddling poisons to children, most people are aware that thousands of families are wracked by the troubles caused by addictions. The drug dealers and their supporters like to claim that it ought to be treated as a public health problem, but the sad reality is that those claims are nothing more than a self serving excuse for poisoners who wish to distribute dangerous chemicals to anyone they please. While opponents of the drug war can claim that our jails are full of low level drug dealers, anyone who reads about the final disposition of drug cases in this county realizes that most addicts are given the opportunity to obtain treatment for their addictions. The people who are jailed are the people who are making money off the business and those who refuse treatment because they want the right to stay high and peddle their poisons to pay for their habits. Our point today is not to justify the war on drugs. Most reasonable people understand that the ravages of addictions have destroyed thousands of families in our area. They also realize that if the dealers are left unmolested, as some wish, it will only be a matter of time before more children are lured into a spiral of self destruction. We wish to thank the hard working officers who made a major dent in the criminal underworld this morning. We also wish to thank the Ogdensburg City Council and the members of the St. Lawrence County Legislature who cared enough to provide the resources for the war on drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe