JUST GIVE THEM THE DRUGS

Don't get me wrong. Stephen Reid did the crime, he does the time, but after
reading "(Cpl. Bill) Trudeau said Reid terrorized others to get money for
drugs" it hit a nerve and this is it ... there will always
be weak-minded people who use drugs.

Being an addict means thinking about that pipe from the moment you rise to
the moment you sleep. All plans for every day revolve around that pipe.
Meals are planned around the pipe, appointments are planned around the pipe,
outings are planned around the pipe, you get the picture. And what happens
when the supply dwindles? You'd do everything in your power to obtain the
drug.

I say give them the damn drugs. I don't want my family victimized. I don't
want my house or business robbed. I don't want already weak-minded
individuals dealing with the true criminals out there.

I'm not saying Reid wouldn't have robbed that bank if he could have just
gone down to the local clinic for his dope (and a chance for help), but at
least we would have tried. Innocent people may have been spared the trauma
of Reid's pipe, our brave police officer wouldn't have been shot at, the
court system pressure would be eased, the family would be spared, the
taxpayer wouldn't be out what is it - $65,000 per year to keep him in jail
(not to mention police costs), and we'd get the criminals where it hurts...
their wallets.

Society isn't going to engage in some free-drug-orgy. Weak-minded people
need help. They say 85 per cent of all crime is drug related. Just give them
the damn drugs.

Ken Milbrath,
Victoria