Put the lunatics in Charge

The Vancouver Province and columnist Joey Thompson have out done themselves this time. Always on the prohibitionist side of the drug issue, now they're going after addicts already in prison. Some guard complained (what else's new) about some visitor having ions from some kind of hi-tech scan that was positive for drugs and reported it to child welfare. Now they say that kids aren't being searched before visits and that this is an open invitation to smuggle drugs. Like an addict needs an invitation. I don't have a clue what they hope to achieve with all this publicity. Cavity searches of entire families? That's what would be necessary, and there's no way they're going to get away with that. This is an issue I'm very familiar with and there's nothing good that will come from this kind of witch hunt. Addicts will do whatever they have to do to get by. The last jail I was in that had even a small amount of control over drug imports was the B.C. pen 18 months before it was torn down by a bunch of tense, explosive, drug starved convicts. The drugs were still getting in but it was through a corrupt prison guard that had to be paid, so the drugs were costly and most couldn't afford them. The society that disdains addicts has put them in a controlled environment, but that isn't enough. They want to make their lives as difficult as possible and there's no way they'll let them do their drugs. They're in jail for crissakes. Leave them alone. That's all they want from society. It doesn't seem like a lot to ask.