Drug Problem

[Jake O'Brien]

What is being done about the drug problem in Ludington? Whenever I open the paper all I see are drug arrests... Does the local law enforcement have a plan?  

[XLFD]

A simple but good question to ask.  If you look at the most basic abused drug, alcohol is readily available at well over a dozen establishments in the downtown, not to mention a business specializing in same just east of the city limits.  City leaders promote the same throughout the year with city-sponsored events from January (Brrewfest) through December (the ball drop and its city-funded drinking bar), enhanced this year by their endorsement of selling alcohol at the beach.

Marijuana, debatably another gateway drug, now not only has acceptance at the state level with its legalization, but also enhanced at the local level with a dispensary in Scottville.  With community acceptance of alcohol and marijuana consumption is it any wonder that many people seek out harder drugs when their lives are negatively affected by abuse of the legal drugs mentioned.

Likewise, education is moving away from "just say no" and offering risk-management advice instead and if you look for local rehab facilities to cure your addictions in the area you generally only find one place to go, the county's mental health facility near the hospital.  They often leave off privately-ran Mason County's Life Recovery on North James Street which is led by caring folks that provide individualized programs.

Lastly, our local law enforcement officers and the SSCENT team will often catch a lot of drug criminals at one particular time, due to their use of confidential informants and undercover operatives to catch a 'drug ring', which is why they may seem to be crowding the 'police beat' section at times.  This is mostly good, but I've seen it used at times for basic entrapment procedures, where the police and their operatives lay the groundwork to encourage those who have no predisposition to engage in the criminal conduct break the law, even by just a technicality.  I point at the Gene Foster prosecution as a prime example of it being used around here.