SUPPORT DRUG CRACKDOWN TO GIVE STREETS BACK TO FAMILIES

B.C. has the dubious honour of being the pot capital of North America, and
Vancouver's Main and Hastings the drug capital. I lived across from
Oppenheimer Park in the 1950s when families would use it for a Sunday
picnic or neighbourhood soccer game. Now I wouldn't walk there.

Main and Hastings used to be a meeting place for families. Over the last 15
years, I would drive slowly through this area showing my sons the side of
life that drugs take people to. It is a sad reality for a beautiful city.

While we should treat drugs as a health-care problem, we have to view drug
dealers as the cause of the problem. Remove the cause and we can deal with
the health problem.

It is disturbing that the revolving-door justice system cannot deal
effectively with dealers. Equally disturbing is the fact that a significant
portion of the dealers are not Canadian citizens. If the justice system
cannot deal with offenders, we at least hope new immigration rules can.

In the meantime, we have to look beyond the few vocal activists who
perpetuate this problem and we have to support the police. Then maybe
families can take back the streets.

Kevin Davie

Sechelt