Hyslop’s agenda

Per President Biden’s request that he resign, William Hyslop is leaving DC and returning to Spokane. Now Hyslop pledges to serve our community by working at combatting illegal drugs in Eastern Washington, specifically fentanyl.

In the March 4th Spokesman article (“Returning to community service”), he states “Traffickers should know … they will be facing stiff federal sentences.” However, Hyslop quotes in his Feb. 28 Spokesman op-ed piece (“Illicit killer fentanyl threatens all neighborhoods”), some wise words from an unnamed law enforcement officer: “we aren’t going to arrest our way out of this.” Agreed!

Education, which sounds like part of Hyslop’s agenda, would certainly help. But he can save his breath about parents’ needing to preach abstinence only. Helpful drug education isn’t another Just-Say-No campaign. Drug education that serves the community might look like this: Every time law enforcement confiscates illicit fentanyl, pictures and/or a description of the deadly pills are posted to social media and news sources. In doing so, law enforcement builds trust with the community, lessens overdoses, and keeps money out of drug traffickers’ pockets.

And how about working with the Spokane Regional Health District to offer free, anonymous drug-safety testing services? Hyslop served a two-year term under HW Bush, so he knows from experience how unproductive and destructive the War on Drugs has been. Let’s look at this issue as a public health problem, and not a criminal one.

Liza Mattana

Spokane