Published: February 02, 2008 05:54 pm            

Drugs touch many lives - Story #22

January 30, 2008 — Editor’s Note: This is a series of first-hand accounts of lives touched by drugs here in Carter County The names are deleted to protect identity.



We have a raging war in own back yard. It has nothing to do with Iraq or illegals.

It is the drug lords that are addicting and killing our children, and destroying homes.

They are destroying our children's future, while we look the other way. How can we expect others to deal with it, when we refuse? Even if you are not directly affected, you are paying for most of the prescription drugs on the street. Our children are robbing, killing, doing whatever it takes to get the next fix.

This is a costly war, and taking more lives than the war in Iraq. If we just had 1/8 these funds allotted to save our children, we could make a real difference. Mothers, fathers, concerned citizens, we must not let this war continue. Our children are being destroyed; therefore, they cannot raise our grandchildren to become productive citizens. This leaves us with no hope for the future, regardless of who wins the war in Iraq. We have elected officials, highly educated, destroyed by this demon, therefore how can we expect our children to save themselves. It has nothing to do with how your child was reared. When they go off to school they are faced with many obstacles, one of the worst is drugs.

It would be more cost effective, to sentence our children to rehab.

We desperately need a rehab in Carter County that will serve our children regardless of payment. Our elected officials must understand that we as taxpayers will no longer tolerate the loss of life and broken homes.

The courthouse monitoring is great- I would like to commend the monitors. We need stiff penalties for the drug peddlers. They are murderers who send our children to a horrible death. Also they are handing out prescription drugs, without training or a license. If we filled a prescription at the pharmacy and the drug killed us, someone would be facing a lawsuit. These dealers, just go to jail for a few days, sign themselves out, and are back in business the next day.

If our children were standing in front of a roaring train, would we not pull them to safety? Well this train travels fast, and usually goes undetected until it reaps death and destruction. Murder is a crime, even it the perpetrator kills his victims slowly.

We are in an election year, but how many of the candidates have addressed this issue.

Addicts are not able to vote, therefore no need to address.

If we cannot solve this problem, where does that leave our children and grandchildren?

Why would law-abiding judges not save our children, when they have the power to do so, and our children are standing right in front of them? Even if the disease does not kill our young people, the health costs from the affects are far reaching, and felt by all taxpayers.

It seems the cure would cost less than the destruction. It is one of the most contagious diseases that has ever hit, as evidenced by the loss of lives.

We as taxpayers are footing the bill for most prescription drugs on the streets. We have many that support themselves by going to the doctor and getting prescriptions for strong narcotics, and than selling to the dealers. Remember if they use their Medicaid card, they are reaping a 100% profit. There must be a way to track these drugs to the person for whom they were prescribed, possibly by imprinting a number for each script that cannot be removed. We must enlist the help of the medical community, as prescription drugs originate with them. These are powerful drugs that only physicians and pharmacist have licenses to handle, they have many years of education to enable them to do so safely. Yet our children are receiving these drugs, they drop out of school, become addicted, maimed or killed in the process. This is like giving your car keys to a five-year-old. Our children are not equipped to handle such power. We have so many unwanted pregnancies from drug-induced encounters. This costs many thousands of dollars, with the numbers only growing plus the need to hospitalize these addicted infants.

I also propose that each time we get new police vehicles, we use the old ones as decoys.

These cars could be placed in high crime areas to deter the drug dealings. Drug dealing is like any other business, if there is no business they will move on.

The sight of the cars alone would hinder the sell of drugs. They could be traded out in nighttime hours and replaced by manned vehicles, if just a few hours each week.

Most of our drugs are being brought in from Florida. We need to stop them before they enter Kentucky. I am so glad that the church has taken a stand. It will make a difference.

I realize there is no easy solution, however to do nothing is just not an option.

        

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