LETTER SHOWS SIMPLISTIC VIEW OF DRUG ADDICTION

The Editor,

Re: "Liberals are right in not helping the drug addicted," The Now
letters, Sept. 23.

I am shocked to read such a simplistic rationalization of a very
tough issue. For one, since the Liberals took over, they have taken a
number of people off welfare completely, including those with chronic
pain problems or other debilitating conditions such as fibromyalgia.
They used insurance industry consultants instead of trained
health-care professionals to do this, as they do to this day when
determining any disability of any applicant unfortunate enough to
need welfare for a longer period of time than two years.

Second, do you not understand that addiction is not necessarily a
personal choice? I am sure nobody wakes up one day and says, "You
know what? Today I'll try something different: today I'll get hooked
on something that will make me sick, homeless and a criminal as
well!" Many addicts suffer untreated mental or physical ailments, and
if you think there are no barriers for these people to get through to
get help, you're wrong. Just thank your personal deity you never had
to find out what your breaking point is, and how desperate and lonely
a person can be when you have nothing left to lose and normal people
treat you that way, like nothing or, at best, some kind of animal
best ignored or hounded out of sight of "decent" people.

Finally, if law enforcement prosecuted the money men and women behind
the street level dealers, seized their assets and threw their butts
in jail, drugs wouldn't be so easy to buy. They're the ones who
should be shown no mercy because their profitable business hurts us
all in the long run by making insurance costs higher, not paying
taxes and overloading courts and the health system with their customers.

Lawrence Melanson

Surrey