DRUG DEATHS

To The Editor:

The drug war must continue. 42,000 deaths by drugs a year demand it.
This country would come apart at the seams if we were involved in a
war in another country and 42,000 body bags were being shipped home
every year. Yet we still have those that promote legalizing drugs.
That would be a big mistake. In the entire Vietnam war, we lost
roughly 57,000 brave servicemen and women. At today's rate of deaths
by drugs per year for the same amount of time as the Vietnam war
lasted we would lose 546,000 Americans to death by drugs. Then throw
in the amount of felonies and murders committed by drug addicts to
support their drug habits; these are very strong reasons to continue
the drug war.

It's my belief that at least some of those that would have legalized
drugs in this country, have more on their minds than the taxpayers
dollars.

I haven't even mentioned the children of the addicts who suffer
because of their parents addiction. The abuse and the neglect in
some case if it wasn't for their grandparents, they'd be in the
street. One of two things ends up happening to these children. They
either hate drugs, or they end up hooked. like their parents and the
cycle is repeated. More pain, more hardship, more wasted lives, this
situation is not only bad for the family unit, but it's bad for the
country, The only upside with drugs is it's good for the hospitals
and the funeral parlors. To the ones who are still saying no, don't
worry it will be good for you. If more people keep saying no, it
will be good for all of us, and our country, As it is one in six
Americans addicted to drugs is one in six too many.

This is to the addicts, get some help. Clean up your act. If you
can't do it for yourself, do it for you loved ones, If it just
involved you, I might not be so caring, but it doesn't involve just
you, it's your family, it's you community and your country.
Remember, if you're not part of the solution, you are part of the
problem.

Keith Shaver Ogdensburg, NY