FRONT LINES OF DRUG WAR DRAWN AT DINNER TABLE

Editor, The Record:

For many years we have been fighting a losing battle against the
production and sale of illegal drugs. While massive resources are
expended chasing drug pushers, penalties on conviction are now little
more than a slap on the wrist. Many now argue that the battle is lost
and we should instead legalize some drugs.

Through all of this, a new and much more deadly drug has emerged.
Crystal methamphetamine is the most highly addictive, brain
destroying, and dangerous of all drugs. It is readily available, can
be manufactured easily, costs little, and destroys nearly everyone who
tries it. It is killing our kids!

The crystal meth task force started by the Ridge Meadows Rotary Club
is an excellent example of a community fighting back.

The inaugural meeting shows that Maple Ridge will not sit back and
allow drug pushers to destroy a generation of our kids.

Other communities should follow suit and there is a forum being set
for Mission in September.

While a local strategy will help, ultimately, much stiffer sentencing
of those who would produce or sell crystal meth should be an integral
part of any successful campaign against this killer and those who
would produce or sell it. Today these criminals see arrest and
conviction as simply an inconvenience and a cost of doing business.

You can assist us as your provincial MLAs to urge the Attorney General
for B.C. to push his federal counterpart for stiffer sentencing
prescribed by law. E-mail and send us letters asking for mandatory
sentences for producers and dealers. Sign petitions and send them to
us.

Perhaps most important, don't be afraid to talk to your kids about
drugs. Their lives may be at stake here and the front lines are
literally drawn at your dinner table.

We can lobby for stiffer penalties but one of the most effective ways
we can put manufacturers and pushers out of business is to cut these
predators off from their most vulnerable targets: our children.

This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

Randy Hawes, MLA

Ken Stewart, MLA