IGNORING FACTS IN THE SAFE INJECTION DEBATE

Re: "Injection site boosts drug use: RCMP," Dec. 11

It shouldn't surprise us that the RCMP have cobbled together a
"report" to show that supervised injection sites "boost drug use."

The question we should be asking our national police force is, "What
evidence will you accept that supervised injection sites are working
to prevent personal harm and criminal behaviour?"

I've asked Mounties responsible for drug enforcement this type of
question several times over the past 10 years. Their typical answer
is that they won't accept any evidence which contradicts drug-control
policies set by senior police bureaucrats in Ottawa.

This response amounts to: "Our minds are made up so don't confuse us
with facts." Tragically for Canadians concerned about street crime,
this tendency to reject research to inform our drug control
strategies may find a receptive audience in Parliament.

John Anderson

Nanaimo.