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A II HH mr HHI HI HE I HH Er Ei. BSE RES dead SUSE weal ii i iii i iii i ai eR ER SE 4 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 16, 1986 Editorial Comments Nice Going "We would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to manager Rod Foster, his coaching staff and all the players on the Greenbank Gamblers for their weekend victory in the Intermediate C tournament for the. OASA championship. The best Intermediate C clubs from all over Ontario came to Port Perry this past weekend to compete in this tournament, and the ac- complishment by the Gamblers simply capped an outstanding two days of fastball entertainment. While further congratulations are due all the teams which com- peted for the title, special mention must go to the guys from Garden River (near Sault Ste. Marie) who battled the Gamblers right down to the wire in the final, and also to Port Perry Legion, the team which not only put on a credible showing on the field, but acted as official host for the tournament. Naturally, from our vantage point, it was great to see a local club win the championship, but several other things stick in our minds as well. First from an organizational point of view, the two days went without a hitch. Second, the calibre of play was top. rate in virtually all the games, and possibly most important of all was the overwheim- ing fan support throughout the tournament. For the thrée games which brought the tournament to a conclu- sion Sunday evening, there was not an empty spot in the bleachers and numerous others watched from behind the fences in the outfield. Granted, the weather Sunday was near perfect for fastball, but we would hazard a guess that even if the skies were dark and winds _ biting, the Scugog fastball fans would have been there just the same. There can simply be little doubt that Scugog Township is a hot- bed for fastball interest and the people who come out to enjoy this sport are both knowledgeable and appreciative. The applause at the conclusion of the tournament for the champion Greenbank team and the runners-up from Garden River is testimony to that fact. There have been OASA championship tournaments held in other communities where the bleachers would have been virtually vacant were it not for the wives and girlfriends of the players on the field. Our hat goes off to the people of Scugog Township who added to the success of this tournament by their presence at the baseball park. You have helped to put this community on the fastball map in Ontario. In closing, we would like to suggest to the Ontario Amateur Soft- ball Association that serious consideration be given to allowing Port Perry to host the same tournament next year. Why not, unless there is something written in OASA rules which forbids this. This community proved over the weekend it can support such a tournament. Again, our congratulations to the teams, the winners, the fans and all those willing people who worked "behind the scenes' to make this event the success that it was. Scugog Township should be pro- ud of your support and efforts. *Actually can't do a thing -- but it sure keeps the men on their toes."' SORT FEAT $700 CO LITO 139 Queen START (419) 965-730) Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Community Newspaper Association. Published every Tuesday by the Port Perry Star Co. Ltd, Port Perry, Ontario. Authorized as second class mail by the Post Ottice Department, Ottawa, and for cash payment of postage in cash. Second Class Mail Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate: In Canada $15.00 per year. Ehowhere $45.00 per year. Single Copy 38° ©COPYRIGHT -- All layout and composition of advertisements produced by the adver- tising department of the Port Perry Star Company Limited are protected under copyright and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. py $l E : pF Chatterbox by Cathy Olliffe Never have I seen quite so much publicity about drugs. Everywhere I turn these days I am surround- ed by information about the evils of drug use. Newspapers churn out stories based on crack, the fastest-spreading drug of this decade; television reporters conduct earnest interviews with ad- dicts; Time magazine features a special front page report on drugs: The Enemy Within; and on prime TV there are specials aimed at educating teenagers on how narcotics can destroy their minds and bodies. I can't help but wonder what is going on. In the late 1960's and 70's, drugs were a popular topic of debate, but discussion seemed to die down in the 80's, replaced by worries of alcoholism and impaired driving. According to American statistics, alcohol is still a bigger killer than drugs. Stats from the Na- tional Center for Health, state the health cost of drug abuse in 1983 was $59.7 billion; in the same ear, the medical bill for alcohol abuse was $116.7 on. : So why all the concern about drugs? Much of it is based on crack, the newest and the most addictive drug to hit the North American continent in years. Also known as base, baseball, gravel, rock, and roxanne, crack is cocaine boil- ed down into crystalline balls that can be smok- ed (the name crack comes from the crackling sound made by the coke when it is heated). Crack is so new (it was first imported from the Bahamas in 1983), that many parts of the United States haven't had a problem with it. Yet. But in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, crack use is out of control. : Crack is popular because it is cheap. Two "beads" of crack, which is good for two or three short trips, sells for ten bucks in the States. Co- caine, on the other hand, goes for $100 per gram. And while physicians across the continent stress that cocaine and crack are the most addic- tive drugs, some users continue to insist they're not addictive. This, despite the fact that crack is addicting on the very first try. Users say the 10 to 15 minute high can be com- to 'falling in love," a giddy, euphoric feel- that leads to a crushing "down" and the crav- ing for more crack. Time magazine reports that the only limit on the amount of crack users can use is the amount they have. There are few physical signs of crack addic- tion at first. With heroin, the withdrawal symp- toms are obvious---vomiting and the shakes. But with crack, at first, there is only the insidious, overpowering craving for more, coupled with THE DRUG WAR bouts of depression and irritability that lead to deep depression, paranoia, and often suicide. Cocaine interferes with the normal biochemical agents of the brain that control the desire for food, sex, and sleep. And given the choice between cocaine and food, laboratory monkeys will take cocaine until they eventually starve to death. ; And while crack may be. cheap, the cost to non-users is staggering. The cost to employers in the States from drug use alone is estimated at $33 million (including a loss of productivity, and an increase in absenteeism and accidents). Narcotics traffic in the U.S. alone is estimated to range somewhere between $27 and $110 billion a year. What's more, there is a proven link bet- ween drug use and crime. In New York and Washington, 56 percent of arrested suspects were using drugs at the time of their arrest. And without a doubt, this costs taxpayers mega-dollars for law enforcement, courts and rehabilitation. Stiffer sentences are the norm all across the States, and in Alabama, life sentences without 'parole are being handed out to high-volume drug dealers and pushers. On the other hand, courts are so bogged down that many dealers are getting away with plea- bargaining and lighter sentences. Time magazine is calling drugs 'this year's public bane," the number one cause of fear amongst Americans who are more afraid of crack in their schools and on their doorstep than they are of nuclear war. More than 22 million Americans have tried co- caine and the number of current users is estimated at 4.3 million. And although federal seizures of cocaine is up tenfold in the last five years, the available supply on the street has not been dented. President Ronald Reagan has urged 'a sus- tained national effort to rid the U.S. of this scourge by mobilizing every segment of our society against drugs." New York Mayor Ed Koch has called on the Army, Navy and the Air Force to join the war against drugs. Communities everywhere are banding together to show dealers and pushers they aren't welcome in school yards or in their neighbourhoods. (Turn to page 6)