Pubdate: Sun, 13 May 2012 Source: Lancaster Eagle-Gazette (OH) Copyright: 2012 Lancaster Eagle-Gazette Contact: http://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3143 PASSION IS KEY TO WINNING FIGHT ON DRUGS This past Sunday, the Eagle-Gazette published an article that showed just how frustrating the drug problem is for local authorities. The response to our article, which detailed the sentences handed down to people caught up in a pair of highly-publicized drug sweeps performed by local law enforcement, has been strong, just as the response to the initial sweeps was strong. We thought it was important to bring you the rest of the story now that we know the results. During the past several years, Lancaster has become a battleground in the war on drugs. These drug sweeps and, yes, these sentences serve as warnings to drug dealers that Fairfield County isn't a safe place to do business. At the same time, there are limits to what police and the judicial system can do; we can't win the war on drugs in Lancaster. All we can do is our incremental work to make life for drug dealers more difficult. Eleven drug dealers were sent to prison for extended stretches. More still could end up in prison if they violate their probation, and life on probation is no picnic, either. We certainly don't advocate for prison sentences for everyone involved in these drug sweeps; in some cases, probation is the road to cleaning up a convict's lifestyle, and we support that. When drug dealers get arrested, people frequently complain those dealers won't get a significant punishment; instead, they fear dealers will get a minimal sentence, not enough to deter them from the crime. Police get frustrated when that happens because some of those dealers, even the ones who spend time in jail or prison, go back to the criminal life as soon as they are released. Our article was intended to show our readers just what happens when these dealers are caught. The only real solution, of course, is for the supply of drugs to be cut off at the source, and that source isn't in Fairfield County. Until government finds a way to eradicate heroin, cocaine and other illegal drugs and finds a way to keep legal painkillers available only to people with valid subscriptions, this fight will continue. The most heartening part of the response we have received is that the conversation still is going. We see a lot of passion in this community for beating drugs, whether it's through arresting dealers or supporting drug rehabilitation programs. Ultimately, that's the key to winning the local fight on drugs. Police and courts can only do so much. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom