DRUG PROHIBITION IS NOT THE ANSWER TO SOCIETY'S PROBLEM

Re: 21 charged in massive drug bust, Oct. 15

So what if the undercover police operation "netted roughly $12,000
worth of drugs and over $2,700 in cash through street-level drug
purchases by undercover officers."

Are we really supposed to believe that arresting 21 drug dealers has
somehow "cleaned up" the downtown of illegal drugs for even one day?
New dealers will just take the place of the arrested drug dealers.

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.

Inspector Peter McEwen noted that long investigations such as
"crackdown" are expensive and time-consuming for police when he said,
"We want to send the message that we are doing everything we can - and
in different and quite expensive ways - 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 "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 "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.