Monticello — Some years ago the phrase "War On Drugs" became popular in discussions

concerning the growing use of drugs in American society.

This was at a time when it was very evident that the use of illegal

drugs was having an impact in the larger cities of our country.

Today the drug problem has spread from those large cities and has

invaded every small town in America‹including Monticello and Wayne County,

Ky.

There is an enormous price being paid as this drug epidemic is allowed

to flourish and grow. The economy suffers. Health is destroyed. Law

enforcement and the court systems are overloaded as they try to process the

deluge of drug related cases.

Again, Monticello and Wayne County, Ky. has not been able to escape the

devastating results of illegal drug use and drug traffic.

We have suffered!

Everyone living in Wayne County certainly knows about the drug problems

we face. It has almost come to the point where every family now knows what

it means to have some relative that has been involved in the use or sale of

drugs.

We now know that the production of "meth" and its use is one of the most

dangerous drug issues facing us as a community.

One of the greatest tragedies of these events is the horrible effect it

is having on the innocent victims of our community. There are children who

are being put in harm's way in the production of "meth." Some of these

children have even lost their lives.

There are people in Monticello and Wayne County who are alarmed at what

illegal drugs are doing to our community. They realize that there are no

simple or immediate solutions to the problem or the symptoms of the problem.

Maybe now, more than ever before, they realize that the measures that must

be taken to help solve the illegal drug problem in our community is best

described by the word-"WAR."

Actions must be taken before anything is going to get better. This war

requires using all the weapons available to wage an intense offensive to win

the victory.

One of the ways to do this is to provide an opportunity for the people

of our community to express their concern about the horrific impact illegal

drugs are having on our homes and the homes of others.

To help address that goal, a community response is planned for Sunday

evening, June 14, in front of the Judicial Center on Columbia Avenue in

downtown Monticello. The event will begin at 8 p.m. (allowing church goers

to have time to gather at the Judicial Center) and will last approximately

an hour or less.

This event is not being planned as a political rally, a protest rally,

or a religious rally. It will, however, be a "spiritual response" to the

problems that face us as citizens of Monticello and Wayne County.

Please join with your friends and family at the Judicial Center at 8

p.m. on Sunday night, June 14. Bring a folding chair. A part of the program

will involve the lighting of candles and you are requested to bring a candle

with you.