I never had much sympathy for drug dealers either. I bought a pair of sneakers off a drug dealer one time. They were absolutely no good. I don't know what they were laced with, but I could not stop tripping! All joking aside, in Maine they are thinking about making drug dealers liable for manslaughter if an addict dies, but I am not sure how much of a deterrent that would be. They have their own addictions and if prison time was a concern, would not being doing what they are doing now. As my ex-wife told the DEA, they make drugs illegal for a reason and her brother willingly took them. He paid the ultimate price for that poor decision. Thankfully my ex-wife and her family were not above telling the truth. The obituary stated "the heroine epidemic took another life...", and as a 5th grade teacher, she spelled out to her students what her brother did, and why she was out several days due to his demise. Last year at the Christian Camp where I volunteer, the executive director brought in a guy who was a former rock star who grew up in the church, went prodigal son like, then returned for missionary work at kids camps. Should 10 year olds be listening to a guy talk about downing a 5th of Jim Beam a night? Probably not, but most of these kids come from the Projects of Belfast, Maine and see their parents doing that very thing. He lead them up all week and on Thursday put a line in the sand at chapel said; "what side do you want to be on?" 110 kids chose Jesus out of 750 kids going through camp! They saw the bad, they just did not see a better way of life, now it is up to our church (and others in the community) to keep them going. How can you do your part, even if you do not have a farm and want to put on a concert? Thursday in the National Day of Prayer and this is a National Problem; even if you do not go to a church, there is one nearby that is forming up to pray, and let me tell you friends, God is ALWAYS working in the background. Prayer works!
I've always worried about getting hooked on the pain medication as I've had to take it since an accident in 1984. I have a friend who is a pharmacist and he has assured me more than once that I am in no danger of being hooked simply because I keep it in check. My doctor knows this too and when I need some heavier doses, he does not object because he knows I will not abuse it. I do wish I did not have to take any but sometimes the body just requires it.
