Apr 22, 2024 3 min read

It was quite interesting to have two opinion pieces side by side in the April 3 edition, one by state Sen. Doug Mastriano and the other by Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker.

Parker’s column revolved around a young man who found deadly drugs on the internet. It talks about overdose deaths, addiction, and efforts to help those addicted.

Mastriano’s piece provided lots of numbers but offered nothing on addiction. It focuses on the belief that Pennsylvania National Guard troops being sent to the Texas border will make a difference.

If only it was that easy.

I urge everyone to ask some serious questions, such as how much it would cost Pennsylvania taxpayers? Is this something that these troops have been trained for? Will it cost money to train them for this operation? Will Mexico pay for it?

Yes, the last question borders on snark because it wasn’t all that long ago when a small group of men were cooking up fentanyl in Aspinwall. Combine a high-powered salesman who closed deals with cocaine, and a nerdy Calgon chemist who had access to ether, and their plan to get rich. According to Triblive, “Prosecutors blamed the drug for 300 fatal overdoses…” in 1988.

Local history proves it, you don’t have to go to Texas to stop the flow of drugs into Pennsylvania. We have lots of talent right here.

An excellent resource to understand the complexities of illegal drug traffic is on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It isn’t just boots on the ground. It’s working with other countries, especially Mexico, to develop treaties and strategies to stop the flow of drugs. It’s using high-tech drones and robots and having the personnel trained for this. It’s coordinating police efforts to gather intelligence on gang movements. It’s having intelligence working the internet to try to track the flow of illegal drugs.

Then there’s the problem of addiction. Without the addict there isn’t money for the dealer.

It sounds good, really good, to say, “Put soldiers on the border and stop this stuff.” Until we solve the problem of addiction, the drugs will come in. Until we crush those making money off the addict the drugs will come in. The dealers will play Whac-a-Mole and simply move the supply to a new entry. Move the troops? Seriously Sen. Mastriano, is that a wise use of taxpayer money?

Kitty Griffin Lagorio

Peters