LEGAL SYSTEM CAN'T CURE DRUG ADDICTION WOES

Re: 'Businesses wary of clinic for addicts' (Daily News, Dec. 4)

We need to remember that laws are made by humans for various reasons.
Some are (and I'm not making a religious point here, just trying to
establish scale) 'Biblical laws' like murder, assault and theft.

Others are to protect people from harm, like 'you shall not smoke near
gas pumps because you might get burned' or 'x drug is illegal because
it will do you harm.'

There is no 'biblical wrong' in doing drugs -- it is a really
stupid/bad/lethal idea, and society is using the legal system to help
protect people from themselves.

The legal system is the major way the government is set up, they have
an entire system of police, magistrates, judges, corrections and
probation people who manage it.

The issue is: Are we helping?

In some cases the legal system is the right choice, in others it
isn't.

This might be an alternative, health-based-system versus a
legal-system way of preventing people from hurting themselves and
others. In the end, less pain and more productive lives for everyone
is what the goal is.

I'm not particularly stuck on how we get there.

It has been my experience working on another Good Neighbour Agreement
that Gordon Cote of NARSF is an extremely competent and willing
individual who dialogues with people in order to reach consensus. He
is also an extremely forthright individual with a great deal of integrity.

I think he should be able to do the same with regards to the Old City
Quarter and residents/businesses, and we all are the better for having
done this.

Gordon Youngman

Nanaimo