MORE PUBLIC SUPPORT NEEDED FOR THOSE SAYING NO TO DRUGS

The Province

Much of the public debate over the issue of drug addiction in B.C. appears
to focus on giving the addicts the narcotics they need to remain addicted.

Too much. Instead, we need to do more to help drug users kick their
destructive habits.

Those who think this approach doesn't work should consider the case of
Roland, a Lower Mainland addict who has just turned his life around, thanks
to a local, abstinence-based, treatment program.

Roland's story, as outlined by Province reporter Don Harrison, shows how a
battered young man with an abusive past, cognitive damage and a 20-year
habit now has something to live for.

"I'd lost my boots and socks," the 36-year-old Roland recalled. "I said, 'I
think I need to go to detox.' I had to get off the merry-go-round."

Detox lasted three days. Then, Roland was referred to the Maple Ridge
Treatment Centre where he became a model for others trying to kick their
drug habit.

"We've seen men come in who are hopeless," said centre executive-director
Karen Turner. "I remember one who crawled through the front door. That was
five years ago and he's still sober."

Roland himself said he doesn't agree with the city of Vancouver's
controversial new safe-injection program for downtown drug users: "Why
would [the government allow others] to harm their bodies?"

Why, indeed?

Now, some will say it's virtually impossible for addicts to rid themselves
of a long-term heroin or cocaine habit. So, how do they explain all those
BCers who have quit smoking -- one of the hardest of all addictions to beat?

Abstinence clearly does work, provided the right public support is offered.

But our politicians have taken the safe, politically-correct route. Instead
of making it harder for drug addicts to remain on drugs -- as they do for
smokers -- they appear determined to make it easier for them to remain
forever junkies.

During the years, our government has gone from getting addicts off hard
drugs to keeping them on them indefinitely.

It's a policy of despair, while Roland's is a story of hope.

What do you think? Leave a brief comment, name and hometown at: (604)
605-2029; fax (604) 605-2099 or e-mail: provletters@png.canwest.com