Pubdate: Wed, 21 Dec 2016
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Heather Yeats
Page: 4

LONG-TERM JAIL SENTENCES

Editor:

The time has come for Canadians to stand up and deal with street drugs
in a different way. No matter how much money, time and heartache goes
into trying to cope with the current plague of overdoses, there will
never be an end to it.

When a drug dealer/manufacturer is caught, the repercussions do not
fit the crime. A slap on the wrist, confiscation of property, fines or
even short prison terms do not stop these entitled criminals. They are
dealing death. They know what they are doing. They plan their actions
and they make huge sums of money on the pain and suffering (and
possible death) of their customers - not to mention the grief and loss
inflicted on the victims families.

With such meticulous planning required to obtain supplies and cut the
product, there can be no excuse. Dealers are knowingly dealing death
and there should be mandatory jail sentences to reflect the country's
determination to deal with the problem from the source of the problem
rather than having to spend millions of dollars trying to cope with
the devastating fallout.

The problem is infiltrating all levels of society; there is no longer
the defence "It could never happen to my family." Fentanyl and other
drugs are out there and proving to be dangerous to even the first
responders trying to save people from overdose.

Yes, the drugs fentanyl and carfentanyl are that dangerous. Your child
might easily come into contact with unscrupulous dealers; what then?

Now is the time for something to be done. Let us take action against
these death-dealing criminals. Mandatory long-term sentences (and
confiscation of property) will impact dealers. We need to make sure
that there is enough of a deterrent. It needs to happen quickly as the
plague of death dealing drugs is spreading so very rapidly.

Heather Yeats, West Kelowna
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MAP posted-by: Matt