IS CRACK PIPE HANDOUT LEGAL?

Nanaimo Mayor Questions Whether The Health Authority's Program
Violates The Canadian Criminal Code

As Victoria Road residents say Vancouver Island Health Authority
nurses continue to hand out crack pipes near their homes, Nanaimo
Mayor Gary Korpan is asking about the legality of the process.

James Younger, who lives on Victoria Road and is co-chairman of the
Neighbours of Nob Hill Association, said he watched on Thursday as the
green minivan used by the nurses stopped in front of his house.
Younger said he knows the van, as it used to have stickers identifying
it as the VIHA crisis response team.

Those stickers, he said, were gone.

Younger claims he was told by Marg Fraser, manager of VIHA's Mental
Health and Addictions Services in Nanaimo, they would no longer hand
out crack pipes in residential areas.

"As taxpayers of and residents of our downtown, we don't need to see
crack pipe handouts as we are enjoying our downtown," said Younger.

He asked the nurses to stop handing out the pipes in front of his
home. That request appears to have also triggered claims that nurses
are being harassed by residents.

Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman Jen Allan said there have been no other
complaints about harassment of VIHA nurses.

Younger later called Fraser, who "said she never said that she
wouldn't give crack pipes out in residential neighbourhoods."

Fraser was not available for comment on Friday, but VIHA spokeswoman
Anya Nimmon said there will be no change to the program.

Nimmon said the stickers were taken off the van "for a short period of
time" out of concerns of harassment, but that was before the incident
with Younger. But she also said nurses were advised to be more
discreet about handing out the crack pipes.

Though VIHA has been invited to an open council meeting, Korpan and
senior city staff met privately with VIHA officials, including CEO
Howard Waldner, June 5.

Korpan said he raised the issue of section 462 of the Criminal Code,
which states that "everyone who knowingly" imports, exports,
manufactures, promotes or sells instruments or literature for illicit
drug use "is guilty of an offence."

Korpan said council has also sought a legal opinion on the matter,
which he said has not yet been delivered. Nothing was resolved about
the program.