DOWNRIGHT ABSURDITY

The Sunday Herald story on the use of OxyContin in Cape Breton (via The
Toronto Star) is a terrible hash of fact, fiction and downright absurdity!

It is also an insult to the proud folks of Cape Breton, most of whom are
talented, productive, hard-working citizens.

The abuse of consciousness-altering chemicals is hardly unique to Cape
Breton or the poor, and ravages the lives of those at the top of the
socioeconomic ladder as well as those on the lower rungs.

We will make no progress in the struggle against addiction by blaming
poverty, the collapse of the coal industry, or remote location as the
source of our human woes.

Pain is a normal part of life that we all have to face. No one is spared,
for it is part of the mysterious process of life itself. Habitual numbing
of that pain with any kind of chemical or behaviour is the real "plague of
choice" that leads to worse than nowhere.

OxyContin is not the "plague" in this sad story. The real "plague" is our
human refusal to see that choice, free will, and the intelligent use of our
amazing intelligence is the real answer to the challenges that life presents.

Al Farthing, New Glasgow