POLITICS CLOUDS CRACK-PIPE CONCERN

The McGuinty government is committed to health care for all --
including those suffering from addictions. We can never give up hope
that addicts may one day choose to seek help. And when that day comes,
the same person who used to hand them a clean pipe may now hand them a
second lease on life. They can direct that person to the services
available to help them through a difficult transition. We are
committed to putting in place enhanced treatment options as part of
improving access to quality health care.

I find it troubling that we are locked in a chain of correspondence
between various politicians, when this is anything but a political
matter. This is an issue of health and safety. By providing a safer
instrument by which to administer the drug, we are effectively
preventing the spread of diseases that can be more fatal than crack
cocaine itself.

In his letter, Health Minister George Smitherman referred to an "end
state" that we all want to see. We want to see an addict receive the
appropriate treatment that will put them on the path to better health
and a better quality of life. But when we are dealing with such a
vulnerable population, one that probably doesn't visit a family doctor
regularly -- one that doesn't have a specialist, or a therapist, or a
social worker -- then the health professional who hands out safe
inhalation kits may be the sole contact that this person has with our
health care system. It may be the one and only line of communication
with that person, and if we lose contact with him, we lose him
completely. We can't give up on these people.

Councillor Georges Bedard refers to a "glimmer of hope" that is "gone
in one puff." But that glimmer of hope may be the one last chance to
reach out to someone most in need and show them that somebody truly
does care about whether they live or die.

Madeleine Meilleur,

MPP for Ottawa-Vanier