Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jul 2016 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www.theprovince.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Tom Duncan Page: 18 LAW NEEDS TO GET TOUGHER ON DRUG-OVERDOSE ISSUE Seeing the alarming amount of drug overdoses in the Lower Mainland, especially in Surrey, is quite upsetting. Something needs to be done. Let's get more police on the ground, undercover if need be, to arrest the dealers and seize the drugs. Toughen the laws and the lenient judges to put these bad people away for a long time. Lacing crack cocaine with a known additive that can lead to death should be treated as attempted murder, thus longer sentences. Then let's have laws that make it illegal to consume these drugs if it isn't against the law already. At that point, anyone who needs medical care and/or emergency room help for a drug overdose should be arrested and imprisoned. Most of these people seem to be homeless, so let's give them a home with care to overcome their addiction and let's give them food. We may have to build more prisons, but in the long run we will save lives and money, plus free up doctors' time for other patients waiting in line. Tom Duncan, Chilliwack - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom