Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2018
Source: Penticton Herald (CN BC)
Copyright: 2018 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact:  http://www.pentictonherald.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/664
Author: Mitch Netterfield
Page: A7

GET TOUGHER ON DRUG SUPPLIERS

Dear editor: When is enough enough? Twelve years ago my wife and I
decided that we wanted to move to the Okanagan. After a lot of thought
and visits, we chose Penticton. What an absolutely wonderful place:
sunshine, beaches, festivals, sports and if you stayed all winter very
bearable

But what has been happening is more break-ins, both on the personal
level as well as businesses, thefts are a regular occurrence (the
police know who most of these criminals are, it's mostly drug related)
resulting in more and more fear amongst good honest citizens.

I listen to the experts proclaiming what society is doing is wrong,
how we need to have more empathy, provide safer places for the drug
addicts to shoot up, we need to enable these people so they won't
commit these crimes.

I'm sorry, I do not feel this way.

When a person has a drug problem we as a society need to do everything
we can to help, but when is enough enough?

I just read we have provided 13,000 naloxone kits in B.C. alone last
year. What have been the benefits, other than reviving someone so they
can do it again? Meanwhile, there are seniors having to decide whether
to turn on the heat or to eat, single moms and working poor who are
struggling to pay rent and have to go to the foodbanks to survive, all
in this incredible wealthy country.

I don't know the answer but I do know what we are doing isn't working.
Unfortunately, when the addiction, which I call the devil finally,
takes you over, it is almost impossible to win. Over 1,100 deaths last
year. How many first responders including paramedics. police, and
fireman have suffered emotional and physical pain? Divorces and worse
are the result of dealing with this terrible curse.

The average street person selling drugs is not the problem, they are
selling to feed a habit. It's the upline that is the problem.

You may say I have no right to comment and what do I know, so here's
what I know: Our most beautiful daughter, so talented and so loved,
was held hostage by addiction. Thousands of dollars were spent on
rehab, the loss of a wonderful husband, even her two dogs which she
adored didn't hold her back.

On Oct. 26, our daughter was found in her bed dead due to an overdose
which included fentanyl.

Let's start to get tough and quit enabling and being soft on the drug
suppliers.

Mitch Netterfield

Penticton
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MAP posted-by: Matt