OWEN PROTESTS U.S. DRUG CZAR'S VISIT

Mayor Seeks Explanation From U.S. Ambassador

America's drug czar should pay attention to the drug problems in his own
backyard instead of coming to Vancouver, says Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen,
who has called U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci for an explanation of John
Walters' visit to the city today.

Owen says he is concerned about the fact that Walters, who made a point of
campaigning during recent U.S. congressional elections against drug-law
reform initiatives proposed in several states, is coming to this city.

Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy, will be speaking at a Vancouver Board of Trade lunch today that
Owen and mayor-elect Larry Campbell will be attending.

"The U.S. should pay attention to their own knitting instead of painting
Vancouver in some kind of light that's not justified," said Owen. "I am
amazed he would be coming out here. It's unclear as to the motive and who
initiated it. He talks about this major drug problem in Vancouver. What
about Baltimore and New York City and Miami Beach and Detroit?"

Owen said he is hopeful that Walters is on a fact-finding mission, but he's
concerned about what his intentions are.

He said it seems odd that a major American policy-maker would come to
Vancouver rather than Ottawa.

"If Washington has a problem with drug reform in Canada, why not go to
Ottawa?" said Owen.

Owen said he found out about Walters' visit from senior staff in the
justice and solicitor-general's departments in Ottawa when he was there
earlier this month to lobby for a national drug strategy.

Cellucci told him that he also was unaware of Walters' visit and would find
out more about it and report back to Owen.

Owen was also critical Tuesday of remarks made by Canadian Alliance MPs
from B.C. who said that Vancouver is planning to open "shooting galleries"
for drug addicts, and that they will attract addicts from all over North
America.

Owen, in an impassioned speech to a Rotary Club gathering that presented
him with an award, launched his talk with an attack on MPs James Moore
(Port Moody-Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam) and Randy White (Langley-Abbotsford).

"It's really unfortunate that MPs would make such outrageous statements
that aren't even close to being true," said Owen, adding it's the duty of
politicians to "lead, not mislead."

Owen said safe-injection sites are one desperately needed part of a larger
plan to deal with public order and public health in the Downtown Eastside.

"We have injection sites now. They're in every major city in the United
States and they're in every city in Canada. They're unsafe."

He said a safe-injection site will give police a place to send people who
are shooting up in the alleys, so they can concentrate on going after the
dealers. It will also separate the users from the crowd they're in.

"Now they're all together, the 16-year-old girl shooting up and her dealer
is here and her pimp is there. She's slowly getting murdered."