Pubdate: Thu, 12 Aug 2004 Source: Mission City Record (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 The Mission City Record Contact: http://www.missioncityrecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1305 Authors: Randy Hawes, MLA and Ken Stewart, MLA Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) FRONT LINES OF DRUG WAR DRAWN AT DINNER TABLE Editor, The Record: For many years we have been fighting a losing battle against the production and sale of illegal drugs. While massive resources are expended chasing drug pushers, penalties on conviction are now little more than a slap on the wrist. Many now argue that the battle is lost and we should instead legalize some drugs. Through all of this, a new and much more deadly drug has emerged. Crystal methamphetamine is the most highly addictive, brain destroying, and dangerous of all drugs. It is readily available, can be manufactured easily, costs little, and destroys nearly everyone who tries it. It is killing our kids! The crystal meth task force started by the Ridge Meadows Rotary Club is an excellent example of a community fighting back. The inaugural meeting shows that Maple Ridge will not sit back and allow drug pushers to destroy a generation of our kids. Other communities should follow suit and there is a forum being set for Mission in September. While a local strategy will help, ultimately, much stiffer sentencing of those who would produce or sell crystal meth should be an integral part of any successful campaign against this killer and those who would produce or sell it. Today these criminals see arrest and conviction as simply an inconvenience and a cost of doing business. You can assist us as your provincial MLAs to urge the Attorney General for B.C. to push his federal counterpart for stiffer sentencing prescribed by law. E-mail and send us letters asking for mandatory sentences for producers and dealers. Sign petitions and send them to us. Perhaps most important, don't be afraid to talk to your kids about drugs. Their lives may be at stake here and the front lines are literally drawn at your dinner table. We can lobby for stiffer penalties but one of the most effective ways we can put manufacturers and pushers out of business is to cut these predators off from their most vulnerable targets: our children. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose. Randy Hawes, MLA Ken Stewart, MLA - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake