THEORETICAL FAILURE

Good lord, our local newspaper believes that the lax attitudes about
drug use among a cabal of community leaders is the cause of all the
drug-related ills of Down-town Eastside.

This outlandish theory has little evidence to support it. The
Down-town Eastside is tolerant of a wide range of behaviours.

But, believe me, the residents and some of these same leaders in the
Downtown Eastside were some of the first to sound the alarm back in
1993 when 200 citizens of Vancouver died of drug overdoses.

After all the achievements that have been acknowledged in the DTES,
it is somewhat disingenuous for The Province newspaper to suddenly
blame a complex societal phenomenon on the very people that have
worked so hard to make things better for all in this city.

Vancouver could be a great city, and ultimately will be judged on how
it continues to work toward an equitable and comprehensive approach
to addressing the complex issues of mental health, addiction and
homelessness in our city.

Crack-pipe programs are just another piece of the puzzle that makes
Vancouver's approach the envy of many other jurisdictions.

Donald MacPherson, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition