DO THE RIGHTS OF ADDICTS TRUMP RIGHTS OF CANCER PATIENTS?

Should the injection site for addicts in Vancouver be closed?
Proponents argue that one million injections in Vancouver have saved
lives and decreased the risk of HIV infection. Others contend
injection sites send the wrong message and should be closed. But in
this heated debate, why don't both sides and our government attack
the root cause of this cancerous problem.

First, how sick are these heroin addicts? I've no idea, as I've never
treated addicts. But Dr. Theodore Dalrymple, a British prison doctor
and psychiatrist, has treated addicts for years. In his book,
Romancing Opiates, he writes that heroin is not as highly addictive
as is claimed and withdrawal is not medically serious. He contends
that a useless medical bureaucracy has been established to deal with addicts.

Dalrymple has observed addicts laughing in his waiting room. But once
inside his consultation room they appear to be "in extremis". And
when taken to task for this change of demeanor they admit they were "blagging".

What Dalrymple says makes some sense. I have seen cancer patients in
London, England, being prescribed huge doses of heroin for pain. They
could be weaned off these massive doses in a few weeks once their
pain subsided. But let's assume Dalrymple is wrong and addicts need
continued help.

Those in favour of the Vancouver site argue that the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms guarantees treatment for addicts. I'm not a
legal expert. But surely, if addicts have this right, what about
other patients?

Today, many rights are not be being addressed by the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms. Years ago this columnist fought for the
legalization of heroin to ease the suffering of terminal cancer
patients. I was labeled "a headline seeking journalist" and
criticized by The Cancer Society, the RCMP and hospital pharmacists
who claimed morphine is just as effective. This is a lie and
hypocrisy at its worst.

It's ludicrous that year after year thousands of people still see
loved ones dying in agony from cancer without the benefit of heroin
as a painkiller. Yet for heroin addicts, it is imported and readily
available in Vancouver. There's something terribly wrong with this discrepancy.

Contacts tell me that many residents of half-way houses routinely
spend their monthly government cheques on crack cocaine. Some also
become pregnant and deliver children with brain damage from drugs
that cannot be repaired. Surely the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
should also protect children from this life-long misfortune.

What about those who through no fault of their own suffer from
debilitating arthritis or Crohn's disease, an inflammation of the
bowel? Both require drugs that cost thousands of dollars to decrease
the risk of recurrence. Yet all too often patients cannot afford the
cost, and help from provincial health plans is denied or inadequate.

Now there's talk that Toronto intends to study the feasibility of a
safe injection site for heroin addicts. But another safe site will
not solve the medical, social and economic problems resulting from
the use of illegal drugs.

Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore, knew the answer to
this cancerous problem. He saw his country being torn apart by the
heroin trade and decided that stringent measures were required to
stop it. I received his blunt, clear message on a plane before
landing in Singapore. A card, government issued, was handed to me
that read, "Death for drug traffickers under Singapore law". This
greeting gets your attention.

Lee Kaun Yew also knew that if you show your teeth you must be
prepared to bite. If not, the law is ineffective. And since 1991 it's
reported that 420 people have been executed, mostly due to drug trafficking.

I'm sure many people find this law repulsive. But if we were not
required to spend so much money on addicts and crime associated with
illegal drugs, patients with other diseases could be protected by the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What do you think?

The hypocrisy surrounding the medical use of heroin is depicted in my
memoir, "You're Going To Do What?" It can be purchased by sending
$19.95 to ECW Press, 2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200, Toronto,
Ontario, M4E 1E2

www.mydoctor.ca/gifford-jones