OPINION|Thomas: When Buyers Stop Using Drugs, A Dealer’s Biz Dies [Video]

I'm listening to a radio commercial tout hypnosis as a viable way for people to quit smoking. I've heard similar ads to assist in weight lose. Earlier in the morning, New Bedford City Councilor Brian K. Gomes is on the air talking about having his colleagues endorse a Motion agreeing with the governor to charge dealers that sell illegal drugs to a user that dies. Charge the dealer with manslaughter.

Most people jump on this bandwagon. Let's face it. Nobody likes the dirty dealer. S/he is a menace to society. Everybody hates the dealer except the willing participant, the hooked hooker, the accepting accomplice, the feening junkie, the weekend coke head.

If hypnosis works to kick butts and lose weight, I wonder if it'll help the habitual user change habits and get clean. If hypnosis is a great, non habit forming choice, tell me more about this option.

One thing is for sure. If charging the dealer with manslaughter is legal, if it's constitutional, how many lost cases will it take before the criminal justice system realizes the user is more responsible for her/his own death than the dirty dealer that sold the product? How does a prosecutor prove a consistent user died from the drugs Dealer A sold to the user? Here we go again. Another colassol nightmare.

Since consuming prescription drugs, as prescribe, is a top 4 leading cause of death in our nation, let's persuade Councilor Gomes and Governor Baker to prosecute doctors for manslaughter.

Editor’s Note:   Brian Thomas is the host of Brian’s Beat on 1420 WBSM New Bedford.  He can be heard weekdays from 10am-Noon and Saturdays from 6am-9am.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.