When we see the term DUI (Driving Under the Influence), we assume alcohol is the culprit. However, there is a growing body of evidence that the "influence" is drugs - whether illicit or over-the-counter. A study completed in British Columbia recently revealed similar results to others conducted in Canada and the United States - a significant percentage of drivers have drugs in their system. As part of the 2010 British Columbia Roadside Survey, The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) asked 2,849 drivers in five B.C. cities to voluntarily provide breath and oral fluid samples to test for the presence of drugs or alcohol. More than 200 drivers, 7.2 per cent of the total number of drivers tested in the random survey, had detectable levels of drugs in their systems. [continues 567 words]
Dear Editor: Here are headlines and leads for two stories appearing in your April 16 issue. Crack dealer gets 20 years prison: "A Madison crack cocaine dealer got 20 years in prison without parole at his sentencing on Wednesday. Leroy Sharp, 31, pleaded guilty in January to distributing nine grams of crack." Bank robber gets 78 months in prison: "A man who robbed a half-dozen Madison area banks in 2008 will spend 13 months in prison for each of the armed robberies." [continues 105 words]
Who could fail to be moved by Alice Petlock Pauser's story of her daughter Genevieve's addiction to marijuana and consequent involvement in the murdere of Kyle Hachmeister ("Parent, child heartache," Jan. 19-20)? Yet, with all due respect for the aforementioned heartache, I submit that Alice Pauser has erred in laying the blame for this situation solely on drugs. If we look more deeply into the situation, we see that the problem is not the drugs themselves, but rather the laws that try (with spectacular lack of success) to ban them. [continues 458 words]
Simple. By removing the profit motive, legalization will reduce young people's exposure to drug sellers. Taverns and convenience stores are legitimate businesses that operate out in the open. Their owners know they can lose their licenses and face heavy fines if they sell alcohol or tobacco to minors. Since they make almost all their money by selling to adults, it's simply not worth the risk for them to sell to kids. That';s why they're pretty diligent about asking for ID cards. [continues 71 words]
