FORWARD THINKING ON SHOOTING GALLERIES

I applaud the positive tone of the article regarding setting up shooting
galleries in Edmonton. I had not realized that there is an extremely
effective needle exchange program there too.

It is refreshing to see such forward thinking in our province. In the late
1960s I read an article about heroin use in Life magazine which pointed out
that the major harms of heroin addiction relate to its illegal status, not
to some characteristic of the drug.

The attitude of the Edmonton police chief of trying to reduce these harms
by embracing alternative approaches is really great. At least some people
are willing to look at alternative ways to deal with this issue.

On the other hand, the voice of the provincial government is an
anachronism, repeating the same tired platitudes and calling for more of
the same ineffective methods which have plagued us for many years.

If I as a teenager in 1967 could grasp the obvious, why has it taken so
long for these public officials to catch on? Are they just not very bright?

My cynical nature requires me to think that the spokesman for Alberta
Justice is more interested in job security, which is the result of the
present regime, than in doing something to make things better for the
addicts and society.

Bruce Symington,

Medicine Hat

(They probably don't want to think about it.)