Pubdate: Fri, 22 Sep 2006
Source: Kamloops This Week (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Kamloops This Week
Contact:  http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1271
Author: A.C. Brumell

'REDNECK IGNORANCE' IN RESPONSE TO ADDICTION

Editor:

Re: H. Lehto's Letter Of Sept. 15 ('Clean Up Addicts By Force'):

I promised myself I wouldn't write any more letters to the editor. It 
seems to be an exercise in futility when I am confronted with the 
kind of redneck ignorance shown in Lehto's letter.

Isn't it fortunate for her that Lehto is not (I presume) an addict? 
Isn't it fortunate for her that at the age of eight, or 15, her 
friend, uncle or brother didn't come to her and say "Hey Hilly, try 
this," giving her a marijuana joint, not knowing it was laced with 
heroin or cocaine, and thus unknowingly becoming an addict?

I am amazed to hear Lehto would rather tax dollars be spent on 
increased police, legal, insurance and health costs related to drugs 
than to prevent many overdose deaths that occur in cities that don't 
have safe-injection sites.

These sites give a level of interdiction that we have never had. No 
new addicts come through their doors.

I believe it is safe to say that more than 60 per cent of all crime 
today is drug-related.

Drugs and the dealers are here for nothing but the indecent amount of 
money to be made.

What would happen if the addicts didn't have to buy their drugs? I 
would be willing to bet that if society (including Lehto) were to buy 
their drugs for them, administer them in safe circumstances to 
registered addicts only, the overall costs related to drug crime 
would be less than half what it is today.

Those costs could be reduced substantially if the drugs that are 
impounded in drug busts were tested and distributed in maintenance 
doses only. If an addict does not have to do a crime to get his 
drugs, he probably won't.

This, to me, is a delicious remedy because you now have the drug 
lords assisting in their own demise.

No customers, no sales, no money.

How long will the dealers stay around?

I could go on but, under this scenario, I believe the drug problem 
could be reduced drastically in only a few years.

What we are doing is not working. Try something else.

A.C. Brumell

Kamloops
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MAP posted-by: Elaine