A PLAGUE ON YOUR HOUSES

Word has it that North America's first heroin trial project has been a
resounding success.

According to preliminary findings discussed at a Zurich, Switzerland,
conference recently, the health and social conduct of the 256 addicts
who participated in NAOMI improved during the three-year study, which
prescribed heroin or a heroin substitute to 190 Vancouver users and
another 66 from Montreal.

While we welcome the official release of the hefty 100-page report
when it lands on Health Canada's desk next month, we can't say the
same for the reaction from the Pivot Legal Society and Vancouver Area
Network of Drug Users, which seem to choose confrontation over
consultation, no matter what drug project is under the microscope.

This time, the Downtown Eastside groups are accusing the Conservatives
of sitting on the study's favourable results because of political
fears they will negatively impact on their tough-on-enabling-addicts
stance.

P-u-l-ease, just once can't we mull over the scientific, clinical
conclusions of harm-reduction initiatives, free from the paranoid
theories of self-interest groups?

Even those heading the NAOMI program say VANDU and the society's
conspiracy claims are out to lunch.

The final results haven't been released for one simple reason, Julie
Schneiderman told The Province.

They're not ready yet.

Lead researcher Dr. Martin Schechter is still hard at work editing
"the monster report," and who can blame him: The project just ended at
summer's beginning.

Frankly, it's an insult to the tireless work of Schechter and
researchers from the University of B.C and the Universite de Montreal
to suggest they could be silenced by a political party knee-deep in an
election campaign.

Furthermore, firing accusations at government, which bankrolled the
$8-million project through our taxes, does nothing to advance the
cause of addicts desperately needing help nor does it endear Canadians
to the many harm-reduction efforts their taxes fund.