News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Editorial: Our Courts Must Just Say No to Those Who Buy |
Title: | CN BC: Editorial: Our Courts Must Just Say No to Those Who Buy |
Published On: | 2008-01-10 |
Source: | Province, The (CN BC) |
Fetched On: | 2008-01-13 23:42:15 |
OUR COURTS MUST JUST SAY NO TO THOSE WHO BUY ILLEGAL DRUGS
It's a bizarre world out there -- especially, it seems, when it has
anything to do with illegal drugs and the legal profession.
We're talking here about the strange case of a young woman who took
some crystal meth, had an overdose, then sued the man who gave her the
drugs -- and now has won her case in court.
It's reported to be the first "legal victory" of its kind in Canada.
And the woman, 23-year-old Sandy Bergen, is being portrayed as some
kind of a hero.
But isn't there something wrong with this picture?
We have no sympathy, of course, for the alleged drug dealer. The
crystal meth he admits he gave Bergen in 2004 in her hometown of
Biggar, Sask., reportedly caused her to suffer a heart attack and
spend 11 days in a coma.
But why is this really a legal victory of any kind for
Bergen?
After all, she won the case, not on the merits of her argument, but on
a technicality in the pre-trial discovery process, when the accused
dealer refused to reveal the name of his own drug supplier.
The fact is drugs like crystal meth are illegal for a reason: They're
highly addictive and dangerous to one's health.
Those who engage in the crime of buying and selling them shouldn't
expect any good at all to come of it.
Certainly, they shouldn't expect to get any satisfaction from our
courts.
And if the courts had any spine, they would just say no to anyone who
knowingly buys illegal drugs and comes crying to them about it --
after being saved by our taxpayer-funded medical system.
It's a bizarre world out there -- especially, it seems, when it has
anything to do with illegal drugs and the legal profession.
We're talking here about the strange case of a young woman who took
some crystal meth, had an overdose, then sued the man who gave her the
drugs -- and now has won her case in court.
It's reported to be the first "legal victory" of its kind in Canada.
And the woman, 23-year-old Sandy Bergen, is being portrayed as some
kind of a hero.
But isn't there something wrong with this picture?
We have no sympathy, of course, for the alleged drug dealer. The
crystal meth he admits he gave Bergen in 2004 in her hometown of
Biggar, Sask., reportedly caused her to suffer a heart attack and
spend 11 days in a coma.
But why is this really a legal victory of any kind for
Bergen?
After all, she won the case, not on the merits of her argument, but on
a technicality in the pre-trial discovery process, when the accused
dealer refused to reveal the name of his own drug supplier.
The fact is drugs like crystal meth are illegal for a reason: They're
highly addictive and dangerous to one's health.
Those who engage in the crime of buying and selling them shouldn't
expect any good at all to come of it.
Certainly, they shouldn't expect to get any satisfaction from our
courts.
And if the courts had any spine, they would just say no to anyone who
knowingly buys illegal drugs and comes crying to them about it --
after being saved by our taxpayer-funded medical system.
Member Comments |
No member comments available...