SAFE DRUG SITES WILL LEAD TO MORE FUN

To the editor:

With all the hullaballoo lately about how we need to make Vancouver a
more "fun" city, I'm fed up with naysayers like city councillors Lynne
Kennedy and Don Lee who object to setting up safe injection sites for
drug addicts in Vancouver!

As long as this city retains the pain of being the drug addiction
capital of Canada it's never going to be as "fun" as it could be. So,
councillors, what have we got to lose except more lives as addicts
continue to shoot up and die on the streets?

If you're so concerned about these sites becoming a "magnet" for
addicts from elsewhere, then set up restrictions such as residency in
B.C. for at least a year. Besides, the issue is not about addicts
elsewhere, it's about addicts here. Let everyone else follow our lead.

We have the opportunity to join cities like Zurich and Frankfurt in
their successful mission to apply an integrated approach to drug
problems. I suggest that Vancouver become a pioneer within Canada. A
front-runner. After all, we're Westerners and our part of this country
was founded by pioneers with a positive attitude and a vision who
weren't afraid to be the first to try new things. Where is our vision
now?

Liz Stonard,
Vancouver