KEEP UP THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST DRUGS

Drug abuse has been part of human existence for a very long time. Some
might say it's been around as far back as the Garden of Eden (think of
the forbidden apple that just couldn't be resisted).

So there's little that can be said to alter the fact that the abuse of
illegal narcotics (and in some cases legal pharmaceuticals) is here to
stay. That's not defeatist; that's just the way it is.

And the sleepy town of Sandy is no exception.

Still, the inescapable truth is that drug abuse comes at a great price
to the addicts, their families left to pick up the pieces and to
society that all too often is victimized when users commit crimes that
bankroll their addictions.

Recently, there has been documented a resurgence of heroin as a drug
of choice in the region and areas beyond our borders.

Through the written stories of addicts, we learn that heroin is easy
to get, exactly like ordering a pizza. We know that efforts to curtail
methamphetamine production have worked, but users have simply switched
to heroin, which doesn't require the cooking operations. And, we've
also learned that oxycodone -- a painkiller prescribed by physicians
- -- is in some cases becoming a gateway drug to heroin.

We agree with a Global Commission on Drug Policy panel that issued a
report last week saying the decades-long global war on drugs has been
a complete failure.

Where we disagree with the panel's findings is its conclusion that
"certain drugs" should be decriminalized. That is defeatist.

While the war on illegal drug trafficking and abuse will never be won,
we think it's important to say it's the good fight -- not war -- and
that is important. As a society we must persist with educating our
children; intervene when friends and family are ensnared by addiction;
enforce laws that make life difficult for suppliers and users; and
provide treatment for those who want to break the cycle.

Those efforts will never stop anyone who is hell-bent on abusing
drugs, but it's a far better approach than throwing the gate wide open
and inviting a higher level of addiction, which will only invite more
crime and heap spiraling costs on the American public.