Pubdate: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 Source: Statesman Journal (Salem, OR) Copyright: 2005 Statesman Journal Contact: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/427 Author: Helen Pendergraft SOCIETY PAYS FOR BEING LENIENT ON METH MAKERS Oregon lawmakers should stop slapping the hands of meth makers and give them harsher punishments. I think it's wrong to make it so people have to get a prescription for cold medications. The people who make the meth need to be locked up and the key thrown away. All this law will do is punish people who don't make meth. So what will happen is people are going to have to pay more health-care co-pays just to get a prescription to help take care of a cold. People who don't have health care are going to go to the emergency rooms and rack up health-care costs that they can't afford, which others will have to foot the bill on. For what? Just so they can feel better. Oregon lawmakers need to make better laws like finding out more about teachers who are actual sex offenders teaching our children; or better yet, find a way to fix the Oregon Health Plan so costs of health care stop rising. - -- Helen Pendergraft Salem - --- MAP posted-by: Beth