DRUG WARRIOR'S 'SAFE' REMEDY

Veteran Street Cop Supports Sites For Addicts And Sees Merit In
Legalizing All Narcotics

A veteran Victoria police officer supports safe sites for drug use and
sees merit in legalizing all narcotics if it would help alleviate the
misery of addiction.

Insp. Grant Smith, who heads the targeted policing division in the
downtown core, cautioned that he was speaking for himself and not his
department when he made the comments during an interview. But he said
that his personal views stem from 25 years on the front lines, where
he has witnessed overdose deaths and the spread of infectious disease
among drug users.

"What the department is saying is that there needs to be a lot more
discussion in the community so that we can make an informed decision,"
Smith said.

"I, personally, believe that there is a need for a safe consumption
plan in the city."

Smith said such a plan needs to include more than injection drug
users, because the city now faces a growing problem with people
smoking crystal methamphetamine. Victoria has about 2,000 intravenous
drug users, and another 500 people who smoke crystal meth, he said.

If the city had safe sites for drug use, "I think we'd see that
population healthier," he said.

Smith said his opinion developed over several years, but it
crystallized in the past year when he was put in charge of targeted
policing in the downtown.

"I see the illnesses that result from the use of unsafe, unsterilized
needles, the unsafe practice to consume the narcotic: The oozing open
sores on the arms and all over the body, the hepatitis, jaundice," he
said.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority reports that the rate of
hepatitis C infection among street-involved addicts is about 80 per
cent, while the rate of HIV infection is about 15 to 17 per cent.

The Island averages one to two drug overdose deaths a
month.

"We can't put our heads in the sand, and say that we're not to deal
with that issue because it's illegal," Smith said

On other issues, the 48-year-old police officer plays closer to
type.

He took part in a panel discussion last week at St. Andrews
Presbyterian Church about inner-city issues, at which he criticized
the revolving-door justice system and a lack of real consequences for
people who break the law. He also stated that B.C.'s new
anti-panhandling Safe Streets legislation is a good first step for
dealing with bad conduct on the streets.

But when it comes to drugs, Smith shatters stereotypes of the cop as
drug warrior.

"I could even go further," he said. "I would seriously consider
supporting legalizing all drugs, so that we can begin to deal with the
issues and treat it as an addiction, rather than treat it as an
illegal activity.

"I think the community would be better off and more able to deal with
the resulting ancillary issues that go along with drug use."

Smith admits his views are probably in the minority within his
department and he will likely be criticized for taking such a bold
stand.

"I'll take some heat, but I don't care," he said. "I'll have a debate
with anybody on that.

"I just see that no matter how much enforcement we do, it never seems
to curtail the overwhelming business of drug trafficking, and drug
consumption in the community. So, I mean, there's got to be a
different way to deal with it from a societal perspective.

"I'm not saying [legalization is] the answer, but I think we need to
explore it as a society."

Smith said he was encouraged by the positive results of Vancouver's
pilot safe-injection site. The B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
recently reported that there have been no drug overdose deaths at the
site, despite 107 overdoses from March to August. The rapid
interventions of staff resulted in only one case requiring CPR, the
study found.

Staff referred more than 300 drug users for addiction counselling or
detox programs over the same six-month period.

Dr. Richard Stanwick, chief medical officer on Vancouver Island, said
the Vancouver experience "has been quite impressive" at improving
health and safety, reducing ambulance calls and getting people off the
street.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe is waiting for the federal government to
approve a pilot safe-injection site for his city, similar to the one
already operating in Vancouver. Victoria has also applied for a Health
Canada grant so it can gauge public support for the idea.

Lowe, who has voiced his support for a pilot site in the past, said
Thursday that it was encouraging to see even veteran police officers
embracing the idea.

"I think it's great to see how various police officers are thinking
outside the box," he said. "Obviously, in the past, it was cut and
dried: 'Drugs are illegal and what they are doing is wrong.'

"But with the new way of looking at dealing with these issues, looking
at the harm-reduction model, I think it's very encouraging to see
especially veteran police officers speaking from the same page."