Pubdate: Sat, 13 May 2017
Source: Expositor, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2017 Brantford Expositor
Contact: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/letters
Website: http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1130
Page: A4

WAR ON DRUGS HAS BEEN COLOSSAL FAILURE

Be careful! This is the message to users of illegal drugs from a
community-wide education and awareness campaign that includes a
website, www.FentanylCAnKill.ca .

Drug overdoses have killed hundreds of people in British Columbia. The
most recent report shows that 120 died in March of this year.

The local campaign is in response to a spate of opioid
overdoses.

One day last October, Brantford police and paramedics were called to
three separate incidents, involving four people who overdosed on
fentanyl. That day was similar to an overnight incident in June when
there were four fentanyl overdoses and one death in the city.

As part of an immediate response, front-line police sergeants were
equipped with naloxone, an emergency medication that reverses the
effects of an overdose of opioids, such as fentanyl. More than a month
ago, Brantford's firefighers became able to administer naloxone.

Firefighters, like Brant County ambulance paramedics, Brantford police
and Brant County OPP officers have all seen an increase in overdoses
in recent months. At one time, firefighters would see maybe one
overdose a month. That has now changed to one or two a shift.

Drug dealers are not nice people. They are lacing their products with
all types of strange substances. The most deadly is carfentanil, which
was designed to knock out elephants.

First responders must be careful as just touching carfentanil can
cause a serious reaction.

The slaughter of the more or less innocent in British Columbia is
spreading across Canada.

Ontario can expect it to plague their communities. Questions must be
asked how Canada has handled illegal drugs.

Marijuana surfaced about 60 years ago. I wrote hundreds or thousands
of words about its evils.

Now I do not believe hardly anything of what was supposed to be true.
As an example of mass hypocrisy, young people are getting criminal
records for handling what the government will soon declare legal.

Drugs should be viewed as a public health problem.

Instead Canada and the U.S. have both tried to use laws and the police
to fight the drug trade. The jails are full and the drug trade is
flourishing. Illegal drugs are killing more people than in most
terrorists attacks.

There is something to be said for legalizing all drugs. If someone
wants a shot of cocaine or heroin, let them go to a drug store and buy
it. At least the drug would be pure and organized crime would not be
involved.

Conventional thinking and the war on drugs have been colossal
failures. Now even a peaceful city like North Bay must be afraid of
drug dealers and their products.
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