Pubdate: Sat, 25 May 2002 Source: Macon Telegraph (GA) Copyright: 2002 The Macon Telegraph Publishing Company Contact: http://www.macontelegraph.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/667 Author: JoLeigh Bartlett WRECKED LIVES SHOW TRAGEDY OF OUR INEFFECTIVE 'DRUG WAR' We've all heard of the war against drugs, but all I have seen is the toll from the destruction caused by the enemy. The broken families, the broken lives glare out as statistics from the "battle." The victims, once addicted, just as predictably as being zipped inside a body bag, has ended their lives. But the grief of their loved ones has just started. Any survivors wait for the slow healing process to begin. We have to sit by helplessly as we watch our loved ones put a loaded gun to their own head and pull the trigger. All we can do is wait to hear a click or a blast. We see the shell of the person that "used to be." We cry, we beg, we threaten, we pray and pray and pray - and sometimes we just walk out. The only battle I see being fought is the inner battle fought by the loved ones of the users. We ask ourselves the million "whys." I wonder when the battle will end, although I am afraid I already know how it will end. I see how the battle ends in the hollow-eyed shell of my loved one. I see how the enemy attacks emotionally, financially, physically and mentally - an insidious killer. I see the painfully slow death of the love, of the trust, of life, of what could have been. I see an enemy so horrendous that even death looses its terrible sting and life itself becomes agony. It is called a "war against drugs" but where are the battle lines drawn? Even if a battle is lost for the dealer, how many more fresh recruits are ready to step in and take up where the last left off? And when the life of the user is totally destroyed, the drug dealer simply moves on to the next victim. The new victims, oblivious to the imminent destruction, happily go to the next party and the next high without any fear or trepidation. When will it end? How many of our children, friends, spouses, etc. we will hand over?! How many loved ones must we lose before there is truly a war against drugs? I have lost one too many loved ones as victims. I stand bewildered and confused as to what can be done to turn this "war" around. I worry that I can do nothing - and I don't believe that this is the way this specific war should end. JoLeigh Bartlett is a resident of Macon. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom