OUR DRUG STRATEGY IS NOT WORKING

Editor:

There will be many in Canada who will disagree with the decision by
the B.C. Supreme Court judge, to extend the experiment with
Vancouver's supervised drug injection site for another year. Someone,
(meaning the judge) we can presume, who has not the necessary medical
expertise or associated experience with the treatment, detoxification
and life long fight through hell which most drug addicts experience.

Federal health minister Tony Clements is apparently extremely
disappointed with the decision and the obvious reasoning of the judge,
who has, no doubt, been influenced by the many prominent advocates
scrambling for research funds. Insite is apparently run by a
non-profit group, along with two drug users and championed by former
mayor Philip Owen, drug policy coordinator Donald MacPherson and
Victoria's mayor, who wanted further Insite centres on Vancouver Island.

The Vancouver Police Union president is quoted as saying, "The public
is being mislead by the well-funded and well organized lobby from the
pro-site advocates and it seems they have the momentum and are
ruthlessly trying to get their message out."

Wilson, the long-time heroin addict was quoted as saying, "We are real
people and we have the right to have a 'normal life,'" upon hearing of
the judge's decision and said the ruling was a tremendous boost for
drug users about their value to society.

What value?

Nothing more than an expensive thorn in the side of healthcare. These
thoughts stress the serious thinking of these privileged addicts going
through the experimental research program and those running Insite. A
"normal" life certainly does not include injecting illegal drugs
several times a day feeding their habit through crime, daily, nightly
and ad nauseam. Addicts do not have this right. How can a judge say
that trafficking and drug possession laws threaten an addict's right
to life and security? What security is there in a life dependent on a
daily drug fix ?

Many will strongly agree with Tony Clements that instead of spending
billions of taxpayers' healthcare dollars on piecemeal referrals and
different treatment centres for different problems caused by drug
addiction, we should concentrate on preventing people, especially our
young people, from becoming drug addicts in the first place. Then
treating those afflicted with the correct medical intervention.

The only way to treat drug addiction is to initiate long-term
residential clinics, for long-term treatment, which could take from
one to three years and go through detoxification seriously, then
rehabilitation, involving education, the teaching of a trade or craft,
serious psychological input, hope and encouragement to enable the
addict to rejoin society as contributing citizens.

The ad hoc treatment advcocated at Insite will only be a temporary
solution and the addict will end up back on the street, uneducated,
untrained in anything useful and back on the healthcare roster. What
is needed is to have combined clinics whereby all problems are treated
at the one type of clinic, with the appropriate medical staff, then
the continuity of treatments would be available for statistical
publication immediately.

The original plan was to get addicts off drugs and treated back to
health. Now we have clinics giving them the drugs they want, needle
exchanges everywhere.

Forget about the hungry researchers battling for funds--cure the
addicts.

MARY HARTMAN

Chilliwack