Pubdate: Wed, 02 Jan 2008
Source: Nelson Daily News (CN BC)
Page: 4
Copyright: 2008 Nelson Daily News
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/288
Note: The newspaper does not have an active website.
Author: Mischa Popoff

CANADA MUST STOP ENABLING MINORS WHO USE DRUGS

To the editor:

Enabling drug addiction, especially for a minor should be serious 
crime. Unfortunately there's little investigation and even less 
punishment under the current application of the law.

Who's responsible when a child becomes addicted to something like 
methamphetamine or crack cocaine? The obvious culprits are the 
dealers whom our prime minister has targeted.  But sometimes it's 
also the parents.

We're so busy treating drug use as a social problem that leniency is 
now the accepted norm.  But in cases of hard-drug use, and chronic 
drug use of any sort, why not force the defendant to lead police to 
the dealer by threatening the maximum sentence unless he co-operates? 
The dealer would also face a maximum sentence unless he, in turn, led 
police further up the supply chain.

Some say society can't win a war against drugs.  But you could say 
the same thing about any crime.  We have laws against murder, but 
over 600 people were murdered last year. Should we just give up?

Courts and jails are backed up, but standing up to drug dealers would 
eventually result in a reduction in the number of people going 
through court and into prison.  We only need to catch the top 
dogs.  Some say there's always another dealer waiting to step 
in.  Don't worry: we'll catch him too as long as we have the will.

The threat of a stiff sentence is also the best way to get through to 
a child.  We need to find out who broke the law twice, once by 
illegally selling drugs and again morally by selling them to a minor.

Then there are rare cases where parents are responsible.  Parents of 
minors caught under the influence of drugs should be subject to an 
immediate search of their property to see if they have played a role 
in enabling their child's addiction.  They'd be subject to the same 
enforcement procedure as though they themselves had been caught using drugs.

Naturally, many parents would be found innocent, and some might 
complain that the search of their property was unwarranted.   But 
their rights must be weighed against society's desire to prevent 
children from becoming chronic victims of drug addiction. If the 
parents have nothing to hide, they shouldn't mind proving it, and it 
only stands to reason that those closest to an addicted child should 
be eliminated from an investigation before police invest resources 
looking elsewhere.

No new law is required; simply the application of existing laws which 
say drugs are illegal and parents are responsible for their children. 
Parents might be found to be using different drugs than their child, 
but drugs are drugs, and any evidence of illegal drug use would be 
taken as an indication that the parents might be responsible for the 
initiation, development and perpetuation of their child's addiction. 
If the parents wish to argue that their drug use is purely 
coincidental, they could certainly try to prove it in court.

For obvious reasons, drug-peddling parents will much prefer the 
current system.  In fact, it would be interesting to find out how 
many times an officer even bothers to search a parent's home after a 
minor is caught using drugs.  The sad fact is that if officers pursue 
such cases, the authorities too often don't bother to prosecute them.

By that same token, drug dealers, also love our current justice 
system which views drug addiction as a social problem rather than a 
criminal offence. People on drugs do indeed have a problem, but in 
addition to our prime minister's plan to spend $35 million to help 
them get off drugs, we need to also give addicts the opportunity to 
contribute to solving the problem by shutting down the dealers.

If the message was sent to drug dealers that every sale they made 
could bring the law right to their door, and if drug-peddling or 
drug-using parents knew their lifestyle could likewise lead to an 
encounter with the law through the irresponsible activities of their 
children, both of these groups of enablers might think twice before 
selfishly satisfying their own desires.

Without such application of the law,drug dealers and drug-addicted 
parents will continue to have no concern for the welfare of children. 
And in the end, that hurts everyone.

Mischa Popoff
Osoyoos, B.C. 
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