Ketchikan has job potential. Alaska had 21 years of job gains up until 2009. After a year without, Alaska added 1,800 jobs in 2010 and 5,200 in 2011, according to the Alaska Department of Labor.

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Former Ketchikan resident Mike Thomas, 47, died Dec. 20, 2011, in Mohave, Ariz. He was born in Salem, Ore., on Nov. 25, 1964, but was raised in Ketchikan.

There is a piece of legislation pending in the Alaska Legislature that might not be there but for the efforts of a Ketchikan woman who saw a problem and worked to resolve it. And more important, because of her efforts, many more people in our community are aware of the problem.

It took a couple of years, but a resolution might be in the offing.

Ketchikan Rep. Kyle Johansen's House Bill 327 would make it illegal for retailers to sell DXM, an ingredient in many over-the-counter cough medicines, to anyone younger than 18. DXM products would be required to be clearly marked on the shelves, or moved to a secure location, such as behind a pharmacy counter.

It's DXM - dextromethorphan - that the Ketchikan woman's son got high on, leading to a series of trips to the emergency room. Whether youngsters steal or buy the drug is not the issue; that it's easily available to them, and dangerous, is what the Ketchikan mother was fighting.

She didn't give up since beginning her crusade nearly two years ago. As a result, more parents in Ketchikan know about the dangers of DXM and the Alaska Legislature does, too. Whether the legislation passes this year is not necessarily the point.

The point is that one person can make a difference, and can get information out that changes the lives of many.

It's worth the effort.