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Viewpoints

War on drugs?
By Ken Lewis

 

February 20, 2006
Monday AM


Kayleigh Martin asked for people to use the Grey matter for solutions about drug use and more choices for our youth as far as activities.

My radical solution to winning the war on drugs is; Random drug testing every driver license holder, at that holder's expense. Driving is a privilege! Not a right? Therefore no one has the right to be smoked up on crack, weed, oxy's or any other illegal substance and drive through my kid's school zone.

As radical as my solution is, it would work. Nothing is more precious to a 15 year old and older than his/her driver's license. And bread earners who recreationally smoke the herb would quit, because they would not want to ride a bike to work. Drug testing Barry Bonds and some obscure Junior Varsity Track & Field participant is a feel good (look we care policy) that does nothing to prevent the next family who has a head-on with a stoned driver. But that's okay because we can now be assured the victims were wearing seat belts? I did not say seat belts are bad, drugs are.

Isn't that a Neat-o new law we have, we can pull over a person suspected of not clicking a seatbelt but if we suspect that same person is cooking Meth, he has right to keep on trucking, if belted. Someone give me a nudge when the war on drugs starts. If demand dictates supply, ending the demand is the solution. Drug test drivers and consumption will go down, streets will be safer and Beavis and Butthead may not forget to click it. MADD did not go far enough.

Things to do after school, in the dark?

If SE kids need more recreational time after school, why then did we adults sit by passively in SE Alaska when a handful of legislators turned Alaska into a 2 hour time zone State. We were a 4 hour time zone State prior to that change, because of good science. Good science provided one more hour of healthy evening light every day. Partial solutions are: get our geographical time zone back, and quit pretending 25 percent of people on our highways could pass a drug test.

Under my plan, bike paths would need to be widened. Or we would start winning the war on drugs. My plan will never fly though, because it would work, car sales may go down and our clocks being an hour further away from New York City is an adult inconvenience. There are my two suggestions to Mrs. Martin.

Kids get off the bus in the dark in December and January because it sounded like a neat idea to have the stock market close at noon local time, rather than 11:00 am. Never fear change, just be aware of the collateral damage it does when it is self serving.

Ken Lewis
Ketchikan, AK - USA

About:"Ken has no memory of being born but his parents suspected he was a bit of a problem at a very early age. Ken is still in denial."

 

Related Viewpoint:

letter Wake Up By Kayleigh Martin - Ketchikan, AK - USA


 

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and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.

 

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