Pubdate: Fri, 16 Aug 2002
Source: High Point Enterprise (NC)
Copyright: 2002 High Point (N.C.) Enterprise
Contact:  http://www.hpe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/576
Author: Denise McInnis

When I moved away from the Triad about five years ago, I had hoped that 
upon my return things would be better. Unfortunately, I return to a worse 
situation than before. It saddens me to pick up the newspapers to not only 
find that this state is "drug-infested," but that the people who live here 
only want to sit around talking about it. We point the finger, judging 
these sick individuals, and do nothing to help them. We throw them into 
jail and throw away the key.

These same sick individuals get out in two-to-10 years to go back to the 
same behavior. They cannot get jobs because they have been locked up. Drug 
addiction is a sickness just like alcohol abuse. People who are addicted to 
drugs commit crimes so that they can stay high.

When are we going to do something to save our people? We should be offering 
these individuals rehabilitation rather than incarceration. All drug 
addicts don't deserve to be in jail or prison. These individuals are sick. 
It is strange to me that a "crackhead" who stole clothes to make money to 
get high or a drug dealer who sells drugs will spend more time in jail or 
prison than a rapist or murderer.

Drugs are bad. They are bad for us all. They are bad for the mother of a 
young son who was shot behind a bad drug deal. They are bad for the father 
who watches his strung-out son steal from him.

So, what are we going to do about it? We cannot go on like this. Sure, lock 
up the drug dealer. But his friends will only take over the business. The 
war on drugs is still rising on a daily basis. The prisons are overcrowded 
now with drug dealers and users. We should be creating programs to 
rehabilitate and motivate these individuals to do something better with 
themselves rather than drugs.

Denise McInnis

Taylor Avenue
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