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PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, May 25, 1988 -- 5 Viewpoint i by John B. McClelland - DRUGS AND THE YOUNG Inthe wake of the tragic case of Benji Hayward, it would appear that cheap hits of acid are readily available at rock concerts in the city of Toronto. Benji's body was found in Lake Ontario last Wednesday, five days after the 14-year Toronto youth had attended a concert at Exhibition Place with some friends. Witnesses told police Benji took acid and ma have smoked pol at the concert, both of whic were in plentiful and easy supply for anyone with a few bucks in the pockets of his or her jeans. The youngster left the concert, got separated from his friends and was never seen again. Prior to the discovery of his body in the lake, his family and friends had organized a massive search, hoping that he would be found safe. Sadly, that was not the case. Now, a lot of peo- ple are asking themselves how an apparently "normal" kid, popular with his friends,and not a reg- ular drug user could come to such a sad end. The police and some politicians are talking about some kind of crack-down on drug use at con- certs, just as there was a crack-down a few years ago against booze at football and baseball games. Somehow, it's a familiar refrain, one that is usual- ly heard following a tragedy like the case of Benji Hayward. Easy access to drugs has long been a topic of debate in this country, and frankly, the drug-related death of one more teen-ager (sad and tragic as it is) is not going to chan i one of two things happen: a way is found to kill the huge profits that can be made through the distribu- tion and sale of drugs, or the state imposes such harsh penalties that few would take the risk. But neither of the above is workable. The only way to kill the profit motive in drug sales would be for the government to legalize the stuff and control the sales, which is out of the question. Draconian penalties would require political will and some laws with teeth. Plus a small army of cops doing nothing but anti-drug work. And besides if the mandatory sentence for trafficking in illegal drugs was 25 years in jail with no parole, that law would no doubt run a-foul of our Charter of Rights. The best and probably only solution is educa- tion. There are a lot of young people taking drugs and alcohol, and using cigarettes. And from time to time we hear about the cases like the one last week which 'ended so sadly. What we don't hear about are the many young people who have made a decision to live their lives without drugs or alcohol. They have simply decided that nobody, least of all some slimey pusher out- side a concert hall is going to jeopardize their health, their future, or their right to control their own destiny. They are on the front line in this on-going war by resisting all the peer group and situational pres- sures. They are battling quietly and in most cases anonymously. But they are not alone. And possibly all the publicity that surrounded the tragic case of Benji Hayward will cause a few more young people to join the ranks of those who simply say no. screamed the headline in one Toronto newspaper | following the discovery of the body. It's a natural and human response, but one that has been said many times before. In a few weeks, Benji Hayward will be forgotten, except by his friends and family. The media will move on to other stories, the politicians will find oth- er causes to champion, and the police will get on with doing their job as best they can. And you can be sure that the pushers and dealers will be back on the streets again, just waiting for another bright, eager and curious 14-year old to come walking by. WHO'S ON FIRST/ On a bit of a lighter subject for a moment, there are a lot of people wondering what's wrong with the Blue Jays. The question is not "who's on first," but who on that team has the right stuff to emerge as a badly needed leader, someone, who, if you'll par- don the expression, will take that team and "kick ass." | tuned in a game on the tube one night last week, and it's obvious that the Jays are lacking a leader on the field. They are just going through the motions, confused dis-organized, very un-sure of themselves, much the way the Leafs looked most of the hockey season. The problem is not the manager, or a lack of tal- ent. It's a lack of emotion, energy and desire to win. There's an old saying in sports that everybod loves to win, but athletes who really come throug in the crunch are those who absolutely hate to lose. In the game | saw, there wasn't a single player who looked like he really hated to lose. Though still in May, the Jays are nearly cooked in '88. ge anything. Drugs of all kinds will remain available unless "Teen death spurs call for drug crack-down" o Yesterday's NMemories 70 YEARS AGO Thursday, May 23, 1918 Lt. Col. Sam Sharpe, DSO, arrived home in Canada together with a number of other officers. Mr. Harron, Myrtle, has purchased a number of acres ad- joining his own property - part of the*Payne Farm - from Mr. Chas. Calder and will go into extensive gardening. On Tuesday, Mr. Jas. Leask & Sons sold a heifer at the Union Stock Yards at $18.50 per cwt. This record price, shows that Mr. Leask & Sons are still to the front as cattle breeders. The following young Cartwright men have put on the King's Uniform: John Arthurs, Clark Williams, William Edwards and Harry Philp. 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, May 20, 1943 $215,000 was raised in the Port Perry district for the Fourth Victory Loan. The County excess'is about $200.00. Cadet Raymond S. Hillier received his Certificate at the Canadian Arm Officers Training Centre, Brockville, Ontario on April 17, 1943. : Port Perry Council has decided that the rate of taxation for 1943 shall be 45 mills, 2 mills less than in 1942. Mr. H.O. Dobson, Manchester, reports that one of his cows gave birth to three calves on May 13th. Nothing unlucky about that in these days of beef shortage. Dr. J.B. Lundy is attending the Convention of the Ontario Dental Society this week in Toronto, Mrs. Lundy is accompany- ing him. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, May 21, 1953 Mrs. Allan Walsh, Scugog Road found a tulip in her garden with four blooms on one stem. R.G. Simpkin will represent the Port Perry Star and other members of the Ontario Division of the Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association in Great Britain during the Coronation. Misses Peggy Graham and Elizabeth Deeming, Ashburn, at- tended the Young People's Conference held in Brantford last weekend. | 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, May 23, 1963 Dennis Symes, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Symes, R.R.4, Port Perry has earned all 14 Wolf Cub badges. Dennis was an active cub in the 1st Scugog Wolf Pack 'A' at Manchester. Miss Hattie Whalen has returned to her home after spen- (Turn to page 8) L Letters We need affordable lots in Scugog To The Editor: The Township of Scugog Coun- cil and the Durham Region Plan- ning Committee amaze me. . The same week Premier Peter- son was quoted in the papers say- ing that Metro Toronto and the surrounding municipalities should start concentrating on af- fordable, not expensive housing, the Committee turned down an application for an innovative development in the Township of Scugog, on the recommendation of the Township's Council. The development, named "Oak Meadows"', would provide the op- ~ portunity for young couples to purchase building lots at an affor- dable price. On the lots quality starter homes would be built. Sure, the homes would not be your typical monster homes which pollute our countryside, but they would average 1350 square feet, which is ample room for any cou- ple starting out. Why was it rejected? Well, we're not sure. We know that both the council and the Committee agree that the land is not far- mable. What we don't know is why Council approves developments on farmland north Letter to the Premier Dear Mr. Peterson: I can't believe it. Has your government completely lost sight of reality? First you raise taxes unconscionably, and now you have allowed the destruction of one of the last remaining wild areas of Ontario, that could be and is used for wilderness camp- ing. If you have ever gone into Algonquin Park in the summer you would know how popular this type of holidaying is. I feel that you are being derelict in your duty as Premier of our province to allow the continued and expanded logging in the Red Squirrel Lake area without all of the issues being aired in an en- vironmental study. We stand to loose one of the most important wild areas of Ontario-the home of the rare Aurora Trout, centuries old white and red pines and millenia old Nastawagan's (trade routes) of the Temagami Nation (Deep Water people). To allow expansion of logging in this particular area, just to keep a mill open a few more years, when it should have been closed (Turn to page 6) of Port Perry, but rejects developments on abandoned farmland south of Port Perry. Maybe someday they'll explain why they did not support the development. In the meantime we'll have to assume that they prefer rich people moving to the area and building big, expensive houses rather than the average local people staying here. It's nice to know that our municipal officials are encourag- ing the price of lots and housing to escalate. The rejection of "Oak Meadows" is a sure indication that our elected representatives are caving in to the pressure of corporate developers who oppose affordable housing. Those in- dividuals who offer reasonable alternatives will be frowned upon. We know who controls the Township of Scugog and Durham Region. Why bother with the next municipal election. Yours truly, Rodney Dewell, Oshawa, Ontario. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newpspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor colimn. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters column helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous letter to the editor. While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must con- tinue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. . ------------------------------