WE SHOULDN'T ENABLE ADDICTS WITH COMFORT

I read Lexi Bainas' Warmland article in the Sept. 22 issue of the
Cowichan Valley Citizen. It pushed the big red button in my brain that
sets off outrage at how we, as a society, continue to enable and
condone addicts -- then wonder why the problem never changes.

Addicts are addicts. Some will survive. Some won't. The ones that do
are the ones that hit bottom so hard it becomes less painful to change
than to continue using. The earlier and quicker this happens in their
addiction, the better. That's the plain truth of it. Ask any counsellor.

So if you really care, stop pandering. You are just prolonging the
process. There should be only one way to obtain the comforts and
security of responsible society -- through treatment. And that is
where our tax dollars should be spent -- providing excellent, easily
available, free treatment and support centres -- not building
injection sites, or providing comfortable places to sleep it off, and
certainly not handing out welfare cheques totalling millions of
dollars so that addicts can pay off their suppliers (stated by
Halliday in her interview).

I have no words to convey the anger I feel knowing that so much of the
money the government takes from us in taxes is turned over to drug
dealers. I have a friend who once worked for social services who told
me that on what she called "Welfare Wednesdays" there were lines of
obvious habitual abusers wanting their cheques, some so out of it they
were barely functioning. Dealers would wait outside on the sidewalk
and go with them to cash the cheques to make sure they got paid.

Please, someone, explain to me why we do that. Does anyone really
believe that an addict will spend money on healthier food and better
accommodation?

Sylvia Holt,

Chemainus