NORTHERN TOWN FACES DRUG CRISIS

Everybody is well aware what's going on in our town. The illegal drug
trade is devastating our young people. A great number of our young
people are hooked. It's making hookers out of our daughters and
sisters. I consider the drug dealers as pimps because if they were not
selling this crap to the young and not-so-young girls, there would not
be any need for these unfortunate people to be selling their bodies to
satisfy their craving for these drugs (crack, cocaine, crystal meth,
etc.) -- the list goes on. I have no problem with somebody smoking the
odd joint. In fact, I strongly believe it's time for governments to
wake up to the fact it will always be with us, and that it should
bring it under its control and have it for sale in the same places
that sell liquor. Liquor is 10 times worse than marijuana, yet it's
legal and big revenue to the country.

People have been moving in here and, in a few short years, buying up
property, etc., with no visible means of income. We all know how they
make their money as this goes on 24 hours a day. It's wide open, there
to be seen by anybody who wants to see it. Makes you wonder if they're
licensed by the village. During the winter, there is one more way that
it can be brought in -- the winter road between Fort McMurray and La
Loche.

The law cannot do it alone; citizens of these northern villages must
bite the bullet. We are a bunch of hypocrites: we lament what this
drug dealing is doing to our children, but what do we do about it?
Nothing, absolutely nothing.

It's time to take back our towns. If we purge our towns of these
despicable and undesirable so-called human beings, we will have better
towns and not be afraid to go to bed at night, knowing we have a
uninterrupted night's sleep -- and not have to worry about people
knocking on our door, ringing our phones, looking for 40 bucks to
exchange for sex. The RCMP should be given more power where illegal
drugs are concerned.

It takes "people power" to change anything that is detrimental, so
please stand up and be counted. For too long we have been passive and
apathetic. It's time for the good, honest people of the community to
wake up and take some action. So let's get the ball rolling. It's time
to act.

Pierre Chartier

Buffalo Narrows