OPERATION CRACKDOWN COSTLY WASTE OF MONEY

In the Tribune's Oct. 20 front page article "Drug blitz cleans up
downtown - for now," Police Chief Rob Davis says he is "satisfied"
with the results of Project Crackdown, a two-month-long project that
resulted in the arrest of only 21 street-level drug dealers.

Are we really to believe that arresting 21 drug dealers has somehow
"cleaned up" the downtown of illegal drugs for even one day? The
demand for drugs will never go away, and there will always be those
willing to risk arrest to partake in the huge prohibition-inflated
profits that can be made. That is our reality and we need to face it.

Guelph Police Insp. Peter McEwen said long investigations such as
Project Crackdown are expensive and time-consuming for police and
added, "We want to send the message that we are doing everything we
can to fight the drug problem we have."

Guelph Police might be doing all they can, but law enforcement efforts
are not "stemming the tide" of drugs, nor will they ever do so. It is
all just an expensive show at taxpayer expense to give the public the
illusion that something is being accomplished.

While police provided a breakdown of the estimated black market values
of all the drugs they seized, conspicuously absent was any estimate of
how much Project Crackdown will cost taxpayers. A two-month police
operation doesn't come cheap!

The value of the seized drugs added up to $12,195. I'd bet the costs
associated with Project Crackdown would dwarf that amount. Is that
good value for the money? Give the public the costs and let them do
their own cost/benefit analysis!

As a country we need to come to our senses and end the
society-destroying policy of drug prohibition. The longer we delay,
the deeper the tentacles of organized crime will infiltrate our
communities!

Ending drug prohibition will result in a safer society for our
children and future generations.

Herb Couch

Nelson, B. C.