INSITE AND AMBIGUOUS DRUGS POLICY COULD DERAIL COMMUNITY COURTS

It is about time that the city and province take an alternative
approach toward Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by using community
courts. The status quo is not working, and many of the programs in
place are aggravating the situation.

However, one major difference between Vancouver and New York that
might impede the effectiveness of a community court, is that in the
United States, they do not believe in harm reduction.

Harm reduction makes it very difficult for the authorities to deal
with the movers of heroin because it has created such a grey area in
the law.

By building a facility for people to use, the state has effectively
given permission to break the law.

Insite has has become both a tipping point and a broken window in
regards to crime.

Until we see this facility permanently closed, this city will
experience a high rate of crime -- and the low rate of tourism.

If the community court is to be as successful as in other
jurisdictions, the model has to followed to the T.

Philip Proctor, Vancouver