DRUGS AFFECT ALL MEMBERS OF A FAMILY

To the editor:

Have you ever done drugs? Have you ever been addicted to them? Have
you had someone you love die from them? Have you seen it tear
someone's dreams, life happiness from their grasp?

Well, I have seen it. To belittle it to the point where you're saying
"innocent" drug dealers almost makes a mockery of everything we stand
for. Why not let murderers and terrorists run free? Are they innocent,
too?

To think by legalizing it that the problem will go away-we may as well
throw in the towel. I mean we've fought long enough against the drugs.
Give me a break.

Angela Fertile,

16 years old,

Kelowna

To the editor:

In response to Alan Randell's letter "Legalizing drugs will stop mayhem on
our streets," Capital News Feb. 8.

Do you live on the same planet I do? "the innocent few who ingest or sell
drugs." In my teens drug dealers were called pushers, and you call them the
innocent who sell drugs? From my understanding, these people are cruel,
manipulative, deceiving and brutal-hardly innocent. These people don't care
what happens to their clientele, even if the drug users go down until they
die. People addicted to drugs are in excruciating emotional and physical
pain, too. They are frightened, worried, hurting and are driven by the
obsession to get more drugs.

I've seen people in pain from hepatitis C from using needles. I also have
seen people with sorosis of the liver from alcohol and drugs suffering,
agonizing, dying slowly each day. I have known of teens of both genders
being lured into the sex trade to support their drug habits that the
"innocent sellers" tricked them into. It's a trade all right: I'll give you
drugs, get you hooked and you can sell your body and have a terrific life.
Horrific.

I have personally witnessed people overdosing. Hands cold, heart rate
slowing down, colour leaving their faces, eyes rolled back and breathing
nearly stopping, Yet, they make it, they live and what a relief-now they go
out and get more drugs.

We need our police to stop the ones who make drugs, who sell, who traffic
and use. I appreciate the hard work our police are doing to combat the
gross drug war.

Susan Fertile,

Kelowna