PROTECT THE VULNERABLE

Does anyone have any insight into what our society would look like if
we legalized drugs?

There is no "war on drugs." Society is simply trying to protect the
most vulnerable in our society from the illegal drugs that destroy life.

It is a fight for the perceptions being created in our children as
they form their moral compass.

It's no coincidence that the legal drugs of alcohol and tobacco cost
society more than all illegal drugs combined.

There are a lot of good kids and adults who don't want to do anything
illegal. And whether something is legal or not plays a role in their
decision-making process.

Can you imagine legal cocaine or heroin being encouraged with the
kinds of billboards that encourage the use of alcohol?

There will always be an insatiable demand for drugs, because of the
nature of addiction and the false sense of well-being they give.

But history shows that wherever drugs are legalized, addiction rates soar.

I know the horrors of long-term heroin addiction and have lived on
the streets. I know what it feels like to have a broken spirit.

Hopefully drugs are never legalized. Vancouver's free-drug programs
provide a glimpse of what might happen in that case.

This complex problem cannot be solved with a simple solution like
giving addicts free drugs.

Barry Joneson,

Burnaby