A WAY OUT FOR ADDICTS

A new drug treatment court due to open at the end of the month in
Ottawa may be just what the city needs to make a dent in the street
drug problem.

It strikes us as a far better idea, at least, than the
feather-brained scheme to "help" addicts by providing them with clean
paraphernalia and safe sites to inject the drugs that have taken
control of their lives.

The drug court will provide an incentive to kick their habits and
help in reaching that goal -- what one man involved in the project
refers to as "therapeutic jurisprudence."

Here's how it works. An addicted criminal who is serious about
breaking the drug habit can plead guilty to the crime that landed him
or her in trouble with police but, instead of going to jail be
enrolled in an intensive, year-long treatment program at the
reputable Rideauwood centre.

This is not, we must emphasize, an easy way for a criminal to dodge
the justice system. Candidates for drug court will have to convince a
Crown prosecutor that they are serious about escaping their
addictions. After that Rideauwood staff will conduct extensive
interviews to determine if addicts truly are motivated to go ahead
with the program or if they think it's the equivalent of a get out of
jail free card -- an easy way to get through the court system with
little penalty.

Once they're in the program, participants will be subject to random
drug tests. If the offender has fallen off the wagon, he or she heads
back to court to face the judge and a more traditional sentence.

Drug addiction is a serious problem in today's society. Not only does
it affect the users but it results in increased criminal activity
that threatens us all.

Providing addicts with a way out of the trap helps them and should
also mean a reduction in the petty crimes that help feed drug habits.

"It gives (the addicts) hope that their lives will actually change,"
Paul Welsh, executive director for Rideauwood said of the program.

We wish them every success.