WAR ON DRUGS IS WORTH SUPPORTING

Would I support an expensive, failing anti-drug program for a good
cause? Yes. Is it not better to fight in any way you can than to not
fight at all?

I gained a new perspective on this drug war a couple of years ago, a
few months before 9-11. I met a helicopter pilot who works for a
government agency that fights the front lines of this war. He and his
co-workers regularly fly dangerous night missions to burn fields and
destroy warehouses that relate to illegal drug activity. There is a
strong camaraderie among them, each willing to risk his life to save
the other in any tight situation. Each goes "to war" every night at
work, constantly being shot at as they make their sweeps. No one knows
who these men are, or what they actually do, but they regularly risk
their lives to nip a hole into the abundant drug problem. I felt
fortunate to be able to personally thank him for his efforts of
keeping drugs out of the country.

Some say that the government-written drug laws are the cause of the
problem, but laws are simply a set of rules. Yes, perhaps some of the
drug laws can be changed and improved, but they are simply a byproduct
of the existing problem, not the cause. The cause is the demand for
the drugs, and the responsibility belongs with each of us.

First, each of us has individual choice. If we choose a path lacking
in personal integrity and morals and do not accept personal
accountability for our choices, then our society pays the
consequences. The lack of morals and personal integrity has become the
norm in our society. As we justify our personal choices we each help
in establishing the bell curve of society.

Second, we need to care for one another. Families need to spend lots
of time nurturing good relationships and principles as a basic unit in
society. Then people can reach out to make significant differences in
other lives. In today's society we forget to do that. We get caught up
in ourselves, forgetting people around us. As more people think that
no one cares and each is to himself, the drug option is more
appealing. Crime simply follows as a natural consequence.

The government cannot fix the problem without our help. Until we can
kill personal demand for drugs, we need the government, its helicopter
agents who regularly risk their lives, and any publicity we can get to
help deal with the problem at hand. Something is better than nothing.
And our crime rates would be even higher if the government did nothing
at all about the problem.

Lisa Bytendorp of Sandy, Utah, works in the travel accounting
business.