BRAINCHILDREN OF THE VANCOUVER-RICHMOND HEALTH BOARD

A 24-hour drop-in centre for drug addicts and safe-injection sites -- these
are the brainchildren of the Vancouver-Richmond Health Board.

A drop-in centre is not a proposal that would reduce drug problems in the
downtown east side.

It would, however, make the drug-taking lifestyle a little more bearable for
addicts and encourage them to postpone treatment. I think it would also
facilitate illicit drug dealing.

The idea of safe-injection sites for drug addicts is not only ludicrous, but
would be doomed to failure. This is exactly what happened in the late 1980s
when the Zurich, Switzerland, government adopted a policy of sanctioned drug
use in that city.

It was a disaster there and was not renewed after its three-year run. It
would surely be a disaster if it happens here.

The result was the degradation of Zurich's Platzsspitz Park (called Needle
Park) and the syringe-littered nearby Letten Railway Station. The addict
population exploded from a few hundred in 1987 to 20,000 in 1992.
Drug-related crime and violence erupted in the area. Doctors resuscitated
and average of 12 overdose cases a day -- up to 40 on some days.

Treatment, not drop-in centres or safe-injection sites, is essential to meet
the challenge of drug abuse. A measure of the provincial government's
abandonment of treatment is that there are about 11,000 intravenous drug
users in the Lower Mainland. Yet there are only six detox beds for women and
five for men.

What we urgently need are more rehabilitation centres, alcohol and drug
services and social housing for addicts.

A drop-in centre or safe-injection sites would only drain the limited funds
for treatment. They would be a complete waste of taxpayers' money and a
measure of the politically appointed health board's grasp of the essence of
the drug problem

B.C.'s auditor-general states in his review of regional health boards: "The
ministry needs to ensure health authorities are made up of members who have
the knowledge and skills to do the job and a process to make sure they are
identified and encouraged to serve their communities this way."

I sincerely hope that the Vancouver-Richmond Health Board will consist of
members elected by the communities and not just political appointees.

Dr. Gabriel Yong, President-elect

Vancouver Medical Association

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst