Pubdate: Sat, 30 May 2009
Source: Chico Enterprise-Record (CA)
Copyright: 2009 Chico Enterprise-Record
Contact: http://www.chicoer.com/feedback
Website: http://www.chicoer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/861
Note: Letters from newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority
Author: James C. Bettencourt

DRUG PREVENTION SHOULDN'T BE PUNITIVE

This is in response to Donald Polzin's letter, "University can send a 
sobering message."

He misrepresents the problem in stating because a student has a high 
intellect or the university uses scare tactics that students will 
become immune to illicit drug death. Obviously that trend of thought 
is incorrect considering there have been six dead students from 
illicit drugs in 33 months.

He believes additional drug education is not needed because young 
people attend college and are intelligent that they understand the 
dangers of unhealthy and or illegal behavior and that they still used 
and died. The majority of adults and students today are ignorant 
regarding lethal consequences of illicit drugs. Knowing just enough 
about illicit drugs to use, overdose and die does not illustrate knowledge.

Labeling students who use illicit drugs as miscreants and stating 
college is only for those who are there to engage in sober academic 
activity illustrates how out of touch Polzin is. He recommends 
punishment when the university becomes aware of a student's drug 
problem. So how do you punish a dead student?

The point of our paid ad was to expose the lethal illicit drug 
problem in Chico. We also desired education and awareness through 
media, university Internet, school newspaper, radio, TV and many 
other options to reduce the lethal consequences of illicit drug use 
especially the blending multiple illicit drugs. This is called 
prevention, before someone's son or daughter dies. This was the point 
of our ad.

James C. Bettencourt, Willows
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom