ADDRESSING THE DRUG ISSUE - SCHOOL DISTRICT #59

I presume that the school district has not complained about drug
stores and hotels with bars or licensed dining rooms. If all illegal
drugs were taken care of in the same way as prescription drugs or
alcohol we would not have to deal with "drug houses," dealers and
grow operations. Students would have to have a prescription for
certain drugs or show I.D. to prove they are of age for others. It
wouldn't solve all the problems associated with drug use, but it
would certainly help. It would help a lot more than mandatory
minimums which have been shown to be ineffective in curbing drug dealing.

The length or severity of punishment never enters the dealers' minds.
They don't plan on ever getting caught so why would they care how
long the sentence is? In fact, the more illegal something is, the
greater their profits. "Tough on crime" is good news for the big drug dealers.

The only way to keep kids away from dangerous drugs is to control and
regulate the drugs and educate the kids. You can't do that while
drugs are being controlled by criminals who follow no regulations.

Katherine Couch,

Nelson, B.C.