WEIGHING THE WAR ON DRUGS

Mayor assesses results of four years of Four Pillars approach

The Four Pillars are still standing. But if there is ever going to be a
fifth pillar, it would be patience.

Several groups got together in Vancouver yesterday to hold up the four
pillars in the war on drugs -- prevention, treatment, enforcement, harm
reduction -- to the cold light of four years' experience.

Mayor Larry Campbell said people in the Downtown Eastside are now safer, and
there's been a drop in overdose deaths and HIV infections.

Campbell said people can now go to the Carnegie Centre at Main and Hastings
without running the gauntlet of drug dealers.

He said the city's safe-injection site, the first in North America, has been
an international success.

"There's 650 injections that are not taking place in alleys, in doorways,"
he said.

Chinatown merchants are happier, and Woodward's is being redeveloped.

But homelessness, the mentally ill and accessing treatment for aboriginals
and addicted women remain problems yet to be overcome.

"It took us 15 to 20 years to get to this position," he said. "It's going to
take us that long to get back to normal.

"Patience is required when you're dealing with difficult problems."

In May, the city's prevention strategy will be launched in order to keep
people off drugs or, at least, minimize the harm to those already hooked.

"With prevention and treatment, you are squeezing the two ends of the
medical problem, which then makes it easier on the harm reduction and
enforcement," said Campbell.

Overdose deaths in Vancouver still run at 50 per year, double the average
for major world cities. Five years ago, there were 191 deaths.

In 2003, there were 50 new HIV infections in B.C., part of a declining
trend. There were 8,100 people in B.C. on methadone, nearly double the
number in 1998.

Property offences, theft and break-and-enters are also down. Police Deputy
Chief Bob Rich said the 60-officer City-wide Enforcement Team has moved on
the drug dealers, but hasn't enough officers to follow the displaced drug
activity.

Another success has been the clampdown on stores in the 400-block Abbott
that were fencing stolen goods or dealing drugs.

"I believe we pull out the weeds before we can plant flowers in the Downtown
Eastside," said Rich.

He added that drug users should be helped, but those who hurt people must be
punished.

"We need to be willing in the end to lock those people up, so they stop
hurting other people," he said.

Ann Livingstone of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users said skid row
needs three or four more safe-injection sites to get addicts off the street.