THE DRUG THAT AFFECTS EVERYONE

The arrest of alleged cocaine dealers in Salmon Arm this week
underlines for the community what the police know all too well.
Cocaine is the number one drug problem in this community, leaving in
its path crime -- ranging from shoplifting to break-ins to violent
attacks -- and damaged lives.

If it weren't for cocaine addictions, crime statistics would plummet.
Who knows, maybe we wouldn't need those two extra police officers. Or
maybe police could spend time being proactive, rather than racing from
one call to the next.

Then there are the other social costs. Cocaine has all kinds of nasty
side effects. It will destroy bodies in a number of ways, whether
through the effects of poor nutrition and lack of sleep or heart and
liver damage. It can, with time, turn a rational person into an
irrationally violent person. A person addicted to cocaine will give up
everything that matters to them for the drug -- often leaving
devastated families in their wake.

On a sunny day in a small town, it's easy to pretend that this drug
isn't wreaking havoc in our community. Surely these things only happen
in the big city.

The police, however, tell it differently. Cocaine use is widespread
and responsible for much of the crime in the city. We would all do
well to accept this and be alert. It is our young people who are at
risk, who could become the cocaine addicts of tomorrow.

Along with the police doing their job to catch the dealers, it will be
up to the rest of us to protect their next victims -- and being aware
is the first step.