EDITORIAL - Too young, too old

Sadly, it would seem that one isn’t too young or too old to enter the drug trade.

As per a report in this newspaper, a 17-year-old boy was arrested with 75 grams of shabu estimated at ?510,000 during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, last June 7.

The same reports says that a day earlier, a 62-year-old suspect was also arrested in another buy-bust operation in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City, yielding suspected shabu weighing 50 grams and estimated at ?340,000.

One would argue that the first suspect is too young to be selling drugs while the other is too old. However, their arrest says otherwise.

This development is quite sad; one suspect still has his life ahead of him, the other ought to be enjoying the golden years of his life. But now, because of what they have done, they face the possibility of some time in prison.

The fact that those who are either too young or too old are entering the drug business should be causing concern.

One seldom enters the drug business willingly. Because of the risks getting involved in such a nefarious business entails, no one really enters it on a dare, for a thrill, or for kicks. Those who do so are usually there because needs are to great and there are no other avenues of relief available.

In previous news items about drug arrests we hear the arrested suspect saying they were just forced into a life of crime because they needed to support themselves or their families or loved ones. Was it the same for these two, the one who was too young and the one who was too old?

It’s easy to just look at what crime those two committed, but not why they did it. When those who are too young or too old are pushed to such an extent they only see selling drugs as a way out then that means society is failing them in some aspects.

Until we address what led them to such dire straits, there will always be those who are too young or too old arrested for selling drugs.