DRUG BUSTS SEND THE RIGHT MESSAGE

The Oxford Community Police's recent effort to target street-level
dealers in a recent two-month operation should be applauded. Not only
does it get drugs and dealers off the streets, it sends an important
message: sell drugs in the Friendly City and you'll end up in jail.

Comments from OCPS Const. Bob McDonald and youth counsellor Judy
Schnurr in Monday's Sentinel-Review reinforce the need for vigilance.
Schnurr says she's seeing 12 and 13-year-old kids doing hard drugs,
skipping past the so-called gateway drugs like marijuana. If these
sweeps help keep drugs out of the schools, or deter kids from running
the risks, then they are well worth it.

McDonald rightly points out that drug addiction is often the source
for property crime - by cracking down on drugs, police may be keeping
your home safe. Enforcement is only one element of a strong drug
prevention strategy - education and addiction services are also an
integral part of coping with the problem. But cops on the streets
busting drug dealers should make the citizen's of Woodstock feel a
little safer - and the dealers a bit more nervous.