If you believe it is none of your business and you don't need to get involved, think about it again. Estevan has a major drug problem not a brewing problem, but a realistic, every day drug problem. We can't ask a dozen police officers to handle this dilemma that is a reality within a local and immediate regional population base that is now in excess of 20,000 people. This is a problem that requires community driven resolve because if we don't stand up to be counted, it's only going to get worse as our population continues to increase rapidly. The unfortunate fact remains that when a city's population increases, we find the bad and the good among us. We don't have the privilege of sorting them out prior to their arrival; we must deal with them as we find them. Those with drug addictions and in the drug supply business too often are found fighting, stealing and vandalizing long before they end up in rehabilitation programs. The entire process the fighting, the crimes, the vandalism and yes, the treatments, cost us money not them us. Their money is spent on the drugs. We pay the damages. That is why it is imperative for our citizens to become actively involved, not in a vigilante way, but simply by becoming educated and aware. We can begin by realizing there is no such thing as a "soft" drug or a "controlled addiction." Business owners and managers who tolerate drug use among employees, or close their eyes to the problem and refuse to test for drugs, are simply removing potential profits from their bottom lines. It's an easy co-relation to track. It doesn't require a Harvard business degree to figure out. Drug use will cost you lots in terms of lost employee time, health benefit packages, accidents and legal fees. Parents and spouses who refuse to inquire, and who will put up with the druggie culture, are merely hiding behind the temporary curtain of denial. The sooner the topic gets out in the open and the sooner the drug user can be brought down to the level where they are willing to admit to the need for assistance, the sooner the problem can be attacked and resolved.Our city police have already talked about this growing problem. There have been numerous public information meetings held to warn parents and the public about the impending problem. Well, the problem is no longer impending it's here and it's substantial and we all need to start doing the right thing. The next time you see that illegal drug being ingested, don't participate or don't smile smugly, walk away and forget about it. Grab the phone after you've turned the corner and make the call you know you should be making. We need to help, not hinder. We need to act.We need more former drug users in the Energy City. We don't need enablers.
