To the Editor of The Eagle:

As a worker in the field of addiction, I am concerned about the lack of understanding of the drug scene in the letters supporting district attorney David Capeless in his attempt to send several teenagers to jail for two years. There is no question that if they sold drugs they are guilty and should be punished. But the punishment should fit the crime.

The drug dealers making money and causing serious harm in Berkshire County are selling heroin, cocaine and OxyContin not marijuana. These kids were allegedly selling 1/8-ounce bags of marijuana that sell for about $20, so they make a maximum profit of $10 a bag. According to U.S.government statistics (SAMHSA.org) 60 percent of adolescents have smoked marijuana at one time or another, but only one percent of the population uses heroin or cocaine. So, marijuana use does not lead to hard drugs. Hard drugs kill; marijuana does not. Are we going to send these kids away for two years where they will probably be repeatedly raped and some may come back with HIV infection, instead of cracking down on the serious drug dealers?

Great Barrington

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