Pubdate: Thu, 12 Jan 2017
Source: Record, The (Kitchener, CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Metroland Media Group Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.therecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225
Author: Ed Grootenboer
Page: A8

'NATIONAL CRISIS'

Re: Fentanyl called 'national crisis' - Jan. 9

According to B.C. Health Minister Terry Lake's hyperbolic assessment of
things, the cutting of street drugs with the lethal substance fentanyl
puts us in a "national crisis." I would agree with the use of that term if
our prescribed drugs were found to be contaminated with fentanyl, but for
illegal drugs?

The sooner we stop enabling illegal drug use by making it safer, the
better off we'll all be, but particularly those caught up in using them.
Street drugs are illegal, and they can kill you. Let's do what we can to
help users back to a law-abiding way of life, instead of trying to make
street drugs and their use safer. It's the drug culture that is killing
all those people - drug use is the gun, fentanyl is just the latest, and
to date, most lethal bullet.

And legalizing "entry" drugs like marijuana only helps to get us to Mr.
Lake's "national crisis."

Ed Grootenboer, Waterloo
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