SUPREME COURT DECISION ON INSITE IMPORTANT STEP FOR HARM REDUCTION IN CANADA

Although the decision directly involves a facility 1,400 kilometres
away and in another province, the Supreme Court's unanimous decision
last week to keep Vancouver's (and North America's only) safe
injection site (InSite) open, affects the entire country.

It is a positive step forward to looking at harm reduction as a
critical piece of the pie of addiction, which affects individuals in
every city, town and rural county in Canada.

Stephen Harper's majority government tried to close the facility
(which has been open since 2003), but last Friday those efforts were
squashed.

Response from the Conservative government?

As expected. They plan to review the decision, and are "disappointed"
but will comply with the Court's decision.

"We believe that the system should be focused on preventing people
from becoming drug addicts," Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq,
was quoted as saying to Postmedia News.

Yes, the system should absolutely be focused on preventing people from
becoming drug addicts, but what about those who slip through the cracks?

Education is the key component, and should be deeply delved into in
both public and private schools, and to children from a very young
age. Educators must not be afraid of scaring children, because the
truth about drugs and alcohol is not pretty, but it is one thing: real
and possible for a person of any walk of life to fall into.

Yet what seems to be coming out of Ottawa in the crime scene lately is
an unbalanced focus on incarceration for crime in Canada; a mind-frame
no doubt linked to the Conservative "disappointment" with the InSite
decision.

The Conservative government is getting tough on criminals, expanding
jails as well as the budget for the Correctional Service of Canada by
more than 20 per cent. New legislation federally tabled is the Safe
Streets and Communities Act, which wraps up nine previously dead crime
bills into one. Supported emphatically by Peace Country MP Chris
Warkentin, this legislation aims to "crack down on criminals." There
has been no release of cost to taxpayers of the bill which, if passed,
would stuff jails because of tougher sentencing.

Although the enforcement side to crime -- crimes of which many are
likely saturated with drug use-- is important, harm reduction for
those engulfed in that life is equally important.

Not only does InSite provide a safe place for people stuck in the
cycle of addiction - many who are homeless, mentally ill or simply
stuck in a way of life from which circumstances have placed them - it
is also a hub of resources. Counsellors, nurses, and help to get the
addict who is ready to go into treatment or detox are directly on hand.

Because whether or not InSite exists, people will use drugs, and
worst-case-scenario, lose their lives to a preventable circumstance.
The day of the ruling was another positive step toward open-mindedness
and understanding of addiction in our society.

Flash to Peace River. There are resources, but not enough for a
growing town of almost 7,000 with multiple bars and liquor stores. The
closest detox bed for drugs and alcohol is in Grande Prairie, as well
as the closest needle exchange.

It is difficult enough for an addict, who in some cases, has spent
years, decades even, in the cycle of addiction, to say 'that's it, I
want to get clean.' They then have to get to Grande Prairie. For the
addict this can be daunting.

Not only would they have to go through a 360-degree change in
lifestyle, the first giant leap would have to be taken in a totally
unfamiliar setting.

Why don't we spend some money ensuring there is at least one detox bed
in each town, and more for larger areas? And same with a
needle-exchange, to ensure the safety of those who will be using drugs
anyway. Why don't we help those who cannot help themselves by
providing these resources?

Because getting "tough on crime" involves an even balance of "the four
pillars," (as deemed by the City of Vancouver) when trying to
cohesively battle the drug problem: harm-reduction, education,
enforcement and treatment.

It needs to be an even split for a long-term change.

Harm reduction shows the (often) down and out addict: WE CARE ABOUT
YOU. WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY. YOUR LIFE - WHETHER OR NOT IT'S
PLAGUED BY DRUGS OR ALCOHOL ADDICTION - IS VALUABLE TO THE WORLD AS A
WHOLE.

To me, scoffing at the Supreme Court decision says the opposite of
this to the addict, which, in what is supposed to be an accepting and
loving society, is unacceptable.

RELEVANT SONG LYRIC OF THE WEEK:

"All research and successful drug policy shows that treatment should
be increased

Law enforcement decreased while abolishing mandatory minimum
sentences."

- -System of a Down