Pubdate: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 Source: Brewton Standard, The (AL) Section: Opinion Copyright: 2002 Brewton Standard Website: http://www.brewtonstandard.com/brewtonstandard/ Contact: PO Box 887, 407 St. Nicholas Ave., Brewton, AL 36426 Phone: 334.867.4876 Fax:334.867.4877 Author: Bill Crist Note: Bill Crist is the publisher of the Brewton Standard. Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion) LURE OF EASY MONEY AFFECTS MANY The old saying that money doesn't grow on trees is another way of saying there is no easy way to make money, that you've got to work for it. Certainly in this area our abundance of long leaf pines might cause some people to argue with the statement, but not its underlying message. Most of us wake up, head to the office to earn a living and hopefully save enough to retire comfortably. There seems to be a growing number of people in our area that are trying to take the easy way out, making a quick buck while at the same time polluting our society with illegal drugs. That's an unfortunate trend and one that law enforcement officers are trying to reverse, but the reality is that the lure of easy money is attracting more and more people to the trade. How many times have we heard about former professional athletes that have been caught with drugs? A couple years ago it was former University of Alabama and Dallas Cowboy running back Sherman Williams that was caught transporting a large quantity of marijuana. Most recently it was his former teammate Nate Newton that was caught not just once, but twice, travelling with several hundred pounds of the same drug. With our role models turning to drugs for the quick and easy profit, is it any surprise that more and more of our young people are headed down that road? It seems that each edition of our paper has at least one story about a drug bust or conviction, if not several. In a sense, that's good news. We try to report on the successes of the local police and sheriff departments, as well as the work of the 21st Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force, but the reality is that their efforts are barely putting a dent in the drug trafficking that's plaguing our area. In fact, Terry Lassiter, who was arrested for possession and was later found to have a meth lab at his home, became known to law enforcement officials during the course of a different investigation. Twenty years ago Nancy Reagan brought the message of "Just Say No" to our country, encouraging young people to buck peer pressure and stay away from drugs. That message seems to have been lost lately, as we see drug use made legitimate on television and in the movies. Behind The Music, a show on the cable music channel VH1, chronicles drug use among popular bands, among other things. The interviews with musicians rarely show the consequences of that use, just that many of them have cleaned up their own act and that drug use was just a stage they passed through relatively unscathed. That's an unfortunate and it would seem easy trend to reverse, but the message has got to start in the home, both through the words and action of parents and caretakers. Our jails are overcrowded with inmates who are imprisoned because of drugs. Many were caught in the act of selling them, but even more committed crimes while under their influence or to help pay for their habit. While there are treatment programs at those facilities, the high level of repeat offenders indicates that they are not working very successfully. Perhaps more resources need to be devoted to preventing drug use before it occurs. That is where programs like DARE and other educational efforts come into play. Those are the types of programs we need more of, and must continue to support. Many people's reaction to the drug problem is that it is one that is here to stay, that we need to continue on the path we are, locking up offenders. That works to a point, but until we make it harder for the dealers to make their easy money, it will not solve the problem. If you are a parent, you need to speak to your children about the dangers of drug use. You need to know what your children are doing and whom they are doing it with. Talk to them, ask them the hard questions that they may not want to answer. That's going to be the best way to battle this problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth