SWEDISH POLICIES IRK EX-MAYOR

Wrong Place To Seek Drug Advice, Phillip Owen Says

"I'd just as soon he (Tony Clement) go to North Korea or Thailand or
China." -- Former Mayor Phillip Owen on Clement's trip to Sweden

A former Vancouver mayor and proponent of the city's supervised
injection site is concerned about reports that Canada's Health
Minister could be looking to Sweden for drug policy advice.

"I'd just as soon he go to North Korea or Thailand or China," said
Phillip Owen of Health Minister Tony Clement's recent visit to Sweden.

Local media reported Friday that Clement was in Stockholm to meet with
Sweden's drug policy co-ordinator, as well as the director of an
anti-drug organization.

"It's not only the United Nations and the United States that are playing
the War on Drugs, but Sweden is not far behind," said Owen in an
interview yesterday.

He called Sweden's drug policy "superficial, incomplete and
inappropriate."

"It's not a very realistic approach to the issue of illegal narcotics
in the public realm in the country of Canada."

The legal exemption that allows North America's first supervised
injection site to operate expires Sept. 12, two weeks from tomorrow.
The government has yet to announce whether or not the site will be
granted an extension to remain open.

Owen said there are more than 100 government-sponsored, endorsed and
financed supervised injection sites in more than 50 cities in the
world. Germany alone has more than 20.

"The success of these sites are unchallengeable, it's not even
debatable," he said. Minister Clement's office was closed yesterday
and spokespersons for the minister could not be reached.