REDOUBLE EFFORTS TO FIGHT DRUGS

The Headline And Story Were Shocking, A Jolt To The Senses.

Members of a violent, nationally known gang were getting ready to
rumble over the illegal drug market in South Jersey and Vineland. But
law enforcement officers arrested two dozen people at a Vineland
apartment complex before the situation could explode into violence.
They confiscated five handguns, a rifle and a bulletproof vest, but
more important, they prevented a possible shootout between two rival
factions of the Latin Kings gang.

For residents who have grown up in Vineland or lived here for a few
years, the news was frightening -- this is not the city that we know
and cherish. City officials and residents could respond by burying
their heads in the sand and pretending this threat doesn't exist, or
they could panic.

But neither is right, and both are dangerous -- the former because the
drug market would flourish with possibly violent consequences, and the
latter because it would mean the community feels it is helpless in its
battle against illegal drugs.

We praise law enforcement officers, especially those from the Vineland
and Millville police departments, who participated in the
investigation and arrest of the suspects. They sent a clear message to
the gang that its members aren't welcome here.

But we know that police work alone can't win this war against drugs.
It's up to all of us:

We must redouble our efforts to teach our children, in our schools
and in our homes, about the dangers and dark consequences of drug
abuse for individuals and the community. We must support treatment
programs for people who want to get off drugs. And we must prosecute
to the fullest extent of the law those who are convicted of dealing drugs.

Only then can we really begin to get the upper hand in the war against
drugs. Otherwise, we will only be fooling ourselves, with dangerous
consequences.