Letter to the editor

Re: ‘Coming soon to a town near you’, Jan. 26, and ‘Drug dealers have no place in our society’, Feb. 2

I praise Evan Saugstad for his courageous stand on both drug growing and smuggling. I have had enough of the so-called wise patch-up of solutions from our various health ministers in B.C. first, then followed by our federal government.

According to various sources, the B.C. health agenda is to allow no more than 2.5 grams of heroin, cocaine, various opioids, and MDMA. The problem here is not namely the quantity, but to allow these poisons to be “decriminalized” in various cities and rural communities.

What is excluded to a large extent is that it seems to me that the drug networks and/or individual dealers may be partially or totally innocent if they always sell their wares under 2.5 grams. What also escapes my inquiring mind is this: are either the drug dealers or Big Pharma directly accountable for the death of users in the first place?

I have seen growing addiction problems in Terrace this past summer that was fairly new in the northwest. Terrace has neither overdose prevention sites nor accredited rehab centres, which is a big no-no. I personally favour rehab centres to prevention sites for the crucial reason that these centres, especially the faith-based ones, offer religious support that is badly needed.

Drug decriminalization that came into existence in B.C. on Jan. 31 is heading for a dismal failure in my humble opinion.

Claude Dionne, Fort St. John