STOMPING DRUGS: TOUGH, NOT WEAK -- INSISTENT, NOT JUST COMPASSIONATE

One of the most striking facts about the drug enforcement business is
how it just never seems to get better. No matter how many violators
local law enforcement officers seem to arrest, there are always a
couple dozen more just waiting in the wings.

So, one would sort of understand if those who risk their lives every
day to put away these criminals might get more than a little
discouraged when they see them get off later in court -- or right
back in jail after only a few months. We can show thousands of
commercials citing the dangers of drug use. We can show thousands of
stories about families destroyed by addiction. We can continue to add
services to take care of the children who are born to drug-addicted parents.

Those steps might save a few, but if we really want to address the
issue head-on, we have to have something more powerful, more of a
stick. In a word, consequences.

Jails are clogged with drug offenders -- usually on low-level
charges. The big-time dealers, they get away much of the time. They
are smarter, on average, and know how to use the system.

Putting drug dealers out of business takes a concerted effort to make
doing business more difficult. And that effort starts in every
neighborhood in this county. If neighbors are not afraid to stand up
and say no, and to turn in those who are breaking the law, the
message gets out -- move. And then it is government's turn. More
money put into enforcement as well as stiffer mandatory sentences for
the worst offenders will reinforce the message -- as will strict
penalties for those who transport drugs into this country in any
shape or form -- the first time.

It won't happen in a day, but ridding this community of the scourge
of drugs will take determination and a really big stick. They have to
know we mean it.