News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: PUB LTE: 'Redneck Ignorance' In Response To Addiction |
| Title: | CN BC: PUB LTE: 'Redneck Ignorance' In Response To Addiction |
| Published On: | 2006-09-22 |
| Source: | Kamloops This Week (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-01-13 02:38:13 |
'REDNECK IGNORANCE' IN RESPONSE TO ADDICTION
Editor:
Re: H. Lehto's Letter Of Sept. 15 ('Clean Up Addicts By Force'):
I promised myself I wouldn't write any more letters to the editor. It
seems to be an exercise in futility when I am confronted with the
kind of redneck ignorance shown in Lehto's letter.
Isn't it fortunate for her that Lehto is not (I presume) an addict?
Isn't it fortunate for her that at the age of eight, or 15, her
friend, uncle or brother didn't come to her and say "Hey Hilly, try
this," giving her a marijuana joint, not knowing it was laced with
heroin or cocaine, and thus unknowingly becoming an addict?
I am amazed to hear Lehto would rather tax dollars be spent on
increased police, legal, insurance and health costs related to drugs
than to prevent many overdose deaths that occur in cities that don't
have safe-injection sites.
These sites give a level of interdiction that we have never had. No
new addicts come through their doors.
I believe it is safe to say that more than 60 per cent of all crime
today is drug-related.
Drugs and the dealers are here for nothing but the indecent amount of
money to be made.
What would happen if the addicts didn't have to buy their drugs? I
would be willing to bet that if society (including Lehto) were to buy
their drugs for them, administer them in safe circumstances to
registered addicts only, the overall costs related to drug crime
would be less than half what it is today.
Those costs could be reduced substantially if the drugs that are
impounded in drug busts were tested and distributed in maintenance
doses only. If an addict does not have to do a crime to get his
drugs, he probably won't.
This, to me, is a delicious remedy because you now have the drug
lords assisting in their own demise.
No customers, no sales, no money.
How long will the dealers stay around?
I could go on but, under this scenario, I believe the drug problem
could be reduced drastically in only a few years.
What we are doing is not working. Try something else.
A.C. Brumell
Kamloops
Editor:
Re: H. Lehto's Letter Of Sept. 15 ('Clean Up Addicts By Force'):
I promised myself I wouldn't write any more letters to the editor. It
seems to be an exercise in futility when I am confronted with the
kind of redneck ignorance shown in Lehto's letter.
Isn't it fortunate for her that Lehto is not (I presume) an addict?
Isn't it fortunate for her that at the age of eight, or 15, her
friend, uncle or brother didn't come to her and say "Hey Hilly, try
this," giving her a marijuana joint, not knowing it was laced with
heroin or cocaine, and thus unknowingly becoming an addict?
I am amazed to hear Lehto would rather tax dollars be spent on
increased police, legal, insurance and health costs related to drugs
than to prevent many overdose deaths that occur in cities that don't
have safe-injection sites.
These sites give a level of interdiction that we have never had. No
new addicts come through their doors.
I believe it is safe to say that more than 60 per cent of all crime
today is drug-related.
Drugs and the dealers are here for nothing but the indecent amount of
money to be made.
What would happen if the addicts didn't have to buy their drugs? I
would be willing to bet that if society (including Lehto) were to buy
their drugs for them, administer them in safe circumstances to
registered addicts only, the overall costs related to drug crime
would be less than half what it is today.
Those costs could be reduced substantially if the drugs that are
impounded in drug busts were tested and distributed in maintenance
doses only. If an addict does not have to do a crime to get his
drugs, he probably won't.
This, to me, is a delicious remedy because you now have the drug
lords assisting in their own demise.
No customers, no sales, no money.
How long will the dealers stay around?
I could go on but, under this scenario, I believe the drug problem
could be reduced drastically in only a few years.
What we are doing is not working. Try something else.
A.C. Brumell
Kamloops
Member Comments |
No member comments available...
