JAIL ISN'T THE ANSWER

The Canadian government is finally taking notice of the increasing tide of
drug use that is creeping over our country. In response to increasing drug
awareness and the threat that Canada will soon face the crystal meth
"epidemic" like the United States, their strategy is to jail the producers,
dealers and users who get caught for longer periods of time.

I think we all know how well criminalizing and jailing more people with
longer sentences works to decrease drug addiction rates.

Drug abuse is a tragic problem. Jailing more people for longer is an
expensive measure that is not going to solve it. Jail is obviously not a
deterring factor for people who use or sell drugs; they know the risks. We
need to have tools other than prison sentences to combat the destruction of
drug use.

There has to be other things we can do to keep Canadians safe from this
disgusting drug called crystal meth. I'm just not sure that this criminal
justice initiative is going to have as much effect as the premiers are hoping.

Shauna Fay

Lockport