We all bear the cost of the drug crisis

The first of two Sanders County Drug Awareness Seminars was held at the Rex on Wednesday, May second. I attended and was deeply impressed by the seven members of our community who shared expert information on the many ways illegal drug use affects our county.

The focus of this presentation was a demonstration of the ways drug addiction touches every citizen of Sanders County, not just those who are using or selling these drugs. The users and their families are tragically impacted but we all bear the cost of the drug crisis. Increased auto and medical insurance rates, increased crime and the price of incarceration, the danger of impaired drivers are just a few considerations from a list that is very long.

We learned alarming and surprising facts that night and I am grateful to those seven dedicated citizens who prepared and presented them to us. My concern? We can only make a difference if we hear the message. The absence of elected officials and spiritual leaders in the audience was disheartening. Please, folks, make a difference. Don’t bury your heads in the sand!

Guy Engebretson, Patty English, Don Manning, Jan Manning, Thompson Falls