ON DRUGS

Big city mayors tend to look down on their suburban counterparts as
unsophisticated country cousins. Vancouver's mayor has said the suburbs must
do their fare share to help drug addicts. But by his comments, Larry
Campbell seems to ignore the fact the suburbs are already doing a lot,
although more is needed, as Coquitlam Mayor Jon Kingsbury recently pointed
out.

Drug addicts do make the suburbs their home and they do need help - not
patronizing comments from big city mayors or one-size fits all
safe-injection sites.

There are programs in the Tri-Cities for vulnerable addicts who wish to kick
the habit. Not every drug abuser is a strung out street person destined for
the Downtown Eastside. People who use drugs come from every walk of life,
many of them hold down jobs - some even locally.

While communities in the Tri-Cities may not be the best place for safe
injection sites - where would you locate one that is close to transit yet
away from a school? - there are other options for people who wish to get
sober and need help.

SHARE, best known for its food bank and Christmas campaign, runs an
assessment and referral centre in Port Coquitlam for people who want to
straighten out their lives. There are mobile day treatment programs for
those who have regular jobs and lifestyles and can devote about two hours a
day to an intensive treatment program for 12 weeks. There are also recovery
homes offering beds for men seeking treatment, though most women and
adolescents will have to go to Surrey or Maple Ridge. SHARE also runs group
sessions for people who want to know about drug abuse and available
resources and the police, most notably the Port Moody Police, have been
active educating both parents and youth about drugs.

Together, these programs point out that drug use is a problem in the
Tri-Cities, just like everywhere else. There is also some help for those
seeking a way out.