HARDCORE DRUGS AREN'T THE ONLY PROBLEM ON THE STREETS

Local MP Guy Lauzon recently wrote that we need protection from drug
dealers who threaten the safety of our communities and I completely agree.

Mr. Lauzon also adds that tough new penalties are needed for
criminals who sell drugs to children. No one can argue with that. I
simply believe that the definition of criminals, dangerous drugs and
drug dealers needs to change.

For example, anabolic steroids are accessible in many cities in
Canada. There are two ways pharmaceutical steroids can reach the
street level. Either some pharmaceutical companies are selling them
en masse out the backdoor or certain doctors/pharmacists somewhere
(in Canada or other countries) are abusing their prescription and
filling duties.

In recent high profile steroid cases (Roger Clemens, Marion Jones,
etc.) the criminal trail leading back into the medical field is never
fully pursued.

Last week a story ran about the drug problem in a certain Cornwall
neighborhood and the citizen interviewed named oxycontin, another
pharmaceutical drug, as one of the main drugs being sold on the black market.

Ritalin is a legal drug being pushed toward some of our children.
Ritalin has been found to have similar chemical consequences to
"meth", a drug Mr. Lauzon highlights as needing removal from our city
streets. Vioxx, Accutane, Avandia, Lipitor etc., the list goes on and
on of legalized medical drugs that are hurting and/or killing our
citizens. Not to mention alcohol and tobacco, which are directly sold
to us by our own government in most provinces.

Unfortunately when you invent the rules, you can also dictate when
those rules are being broken and what definitions will be applied to
what situation.

I agree with Guy Lauzon. All dealers, pushers and manufacturers need
to be targeted. We need the definitions changed.

Drugs are drugs. Show me a political party that is willing to stand
up against the legal drug dealers that are hurting our citizens and I
will show you a party that will rule unchallenged for decades.

If all our citizens were healthy, most of these issues would simply evaporate.

For now protection can only come from self-education.

Jason Christoff

Cornwall