ENABLING DRUG USE NO WAY TO BEAT IT

There is a lot of controversy arising out of a recent decision to
give mouthpieces to crack and methamphetamine smokers in an attempt
to make smoking drugs safer. I am opposed to this plan just as I have
had reservations about the needle-exchange program. I just cannot see
crack smokers changing mouthpieces every time they light up. Even if
they did, they still share cigarettes, wine bottles and food, and
kiss when high.

It wasn't that many years ago that if you were caught with drug
paraphernalia, you could be charged and imprisoned. Now our society
is distributing these very items. We are enabling the addicts and
sending a message to drug pushers that in our community crack is here
to stay. Let's not give drug pushers the opportunity to show our
children a safer way to use crack cocaine.

I contracted hep C many years ago from sharing a dirty needle and I
went on to receive a liver transplant. Six years later, I went on
treatments and now have overcome the hep C virus. I thank God that he
allowed me to get hep C as it was the catalyst that caused me to
realize how evil drugs are. Otherwise they would have killed me.

Murray Coulter

Courtenay