In the last couple of weeks, The Sun has published letters, articles and op-eds describing various theories of how we should deal with the current opioid epidemic. Dan Rodricks told us the sad story of a Baltimore County boy who died of a fentanyl overdose (“Fentanyl deaths: America’s epidemic worsens in the pandemic. What do we do about it?” April 20).

Former Judge Ellen Heller spoke of the way she believes the courts should deal with these problems (“Ex-judge: Addicts need a path forward, not incarceration,” April 23). The director of addiction services at Sheppard Pratt advised that many addicts also have mental health issues.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has attempted to justify her agency’s new policy of not prosecuting so called low-level offenses, including possession of heroin and possession of cocaine. She has attempted to buttress her new policy by supplying dubious statistics (“Baltimore state’s attorney: A year ago, I stopped prosecuting low-level offenses. Here’s why — and what happened,” April 19).

Would the mother of the fentanyl overdose victim prefer that her son be incarcerated and away from the drug supply? Arresting addicted people saves lives. We may not want to hear this, but it is very true.

This is not the preferred method, but the method used when all else fails. The true beneficiaries of Ms. Mosby’s failure to prosecute people who use dangerous and addictive drugs are drug dealers.

There is no benefit to the residents of Baltimore. The idea that referrals will be made for drug treatment and that this will solve the problem is absurd. We know that addicts seldom voluntarily participate in drug treatment.

Baltimore has been grappling with the problems of drug abuse for many more years than Ms. Mosby indicates. Drug treatment and research funded by National Institutes of Health grants and criminal justice efforts have been going on in Baltimore for over 50 years. The idea that a state prison should be made into a drug-treatment center sounds like a good idea.

The reality is that there has been drug and mental treatment available to some inmates for over 50 years. Obviously, much more needs to be done to treat this very difficult problem.

People addicted to drugs need to be closely monitored as they almost always lie about their drug usage. Drug use must be monitored by urine collection under observation. There is a cottage industry of people selling clean urine outside drug treatment programs and parole offices. Decision makers need reliable data.

Prosecutors have significant latitude in criminal prosecution but I believe that Ms. Mosby has abused her power. While she may have a strong case in not prosecuting certain crimes, she has overreached when she includes possession of highly addictive and dangerous drugs.

We vote for people in the General Assembly and the Baltimore City Council to enact legislation, and we don’t expect prosecutors to overturn these laws unilaterally. My problem with Ms. Mosby’s new policy is that it goes too far. This overreach will definitely hurt the residents of Baltimore.

The Sun has provided us with a great deal of information to ponder. I hope that our decision makers will carefully study the issues and develop policies and procedures which make sense and are not simply politically expedient.

Edward McCarey McDonnell, Baltimore