OFFICIALS TACKLE BRITISH COLUMBIA'S MOST VISIBLE PROBLEM: RAMPANT DRUG USE

VANCOUVER - If officials needed evidence to support claims the fight
against drugs in western Canada's largest city was in trouble they could
find it Wednesday on a downtown Vancouver street.

A drug addict witnessed by a Reuters photographer calmly pulled down her
pants and planted an injection needle in her leg as cars and pedestrians
passed by seemly oblivious to the scene.

Vancouver Police Chief Bruce Chambers is among those support for plan to
overhaul British Columbia's anti-drug strategy that emphasizes treatment
and could eventually include free prescription heroin for some addicts.

"If were' going to address this problem we need adequate resources. The
business of law enforcement to drugs will continue, but we need a balanced
approach," Chambers said a day after the proposal was unveiled.

Other officials went even farther on Tuesday, with some declaring as the
plan was unveiled that the current war on drugs was lost.

The plan was proposed by British Columbia's top medical officials as part
of a broad strategy to fight a drug problem that is among the worst in
Canada with a death toll that could surpass an addict every day.

Health officials said steps must be taken quickly to address a drug
addiction problem they fear will claim more than 400 lives in British
Columbia this year and cost the province's non-drug users more than $100
million.

The province has an estimated 15,000 addicts, with cocaine or heroin use
among the biggest problems. Most are in the Vancouver area, where treatment
programs have an 8-month waiting list.

The 30-page report also calls for $8.8 million expansion of methadone
treatment for heroin addicts, a 50 percent increase in detoxification
programs and a new agency to coordinate social service and drug treatment
efforts.

British Columbia Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh said he was worried that
allowing heroin prescriptions would attract addicts to the province if it
was not done as part of a federal anti-drug effort.

"I won't rule it in, but I won't rule it out. But only in the context of a
national strategy," Dosanjh said.

The head of the British Columbia Medical Association's committee on drugs
and alcohol said he would oppose the prescription effort, although he
praised the other proposals in the strategy.

"It is likely more harm will result from this than good and there is
insufficient evident to say it would help," Dr. Ray Baker told the
Vancouver Sun.

Provincial health officials recognizing the controversy of a prescription
heroin program took pains Tuesday to stress it would done on a trial basis
and implement only after existing treatment programs are expanded.

Chambers said he was also worried too much emphasis would be put on the
heroin prescription idea, but said it offered an option to a small
percentage of the addicts who cannot be helped with other treatments.

By ALLAN DOWD, Reuters

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski