THE MAIN THING

It comes as a surprise -- a jarring surprise.

It comes just when the message is sinking in with parents across the
Metroplex that there is an alarming problem of young people using very
dangerous drugs. Many of these young people are dying from heroin overdoses.

It comes just when parents decide to act. They are worried, yet determined
to protect their families. They go to public forums sponsored by police and
school officials to learn more about the problem, the drugs, and how to
talk to their kids about the terrible dangers of drug abuse.

Then comes the surprise: Someone stands up at the forum to voice a very
different message -- that people should have more open access to drugs.
That the fight against currently illegal drugs is futile. That drug use
should be "decriminalized" and treated as a medical issue, not a police
matter.

It's a message from a group with a political goal -- a radical change in
our current fight against drugs -- and its first hurdle is to get
attention. The group has chosen to try to draw notice by speaking out at
gatherings of people who have become alarmed at the extent of drug abuse in
our communities.

The shock should not get in the way of the fight. The effort to
decriminalize drugs is but a sideshow. It should not distract parents from
the main event: We have to find ways to keep dangerous drugs out of our
kids' hands. The way we do that is to come to know the problem that we
face: that there are drugs in our communities that are killers. We have to
get our kids to realize the danger and the waste of precious human energy
brought on by drug abuse.

It's not a matter of criminal or decriminal. It's a matter of life and death.

Checked-by: Richard Lake