CRACK COCAINE AND RELATED PROBLEMS IN VANCOUVER RESULTS FROM THE
BREAK DOWN IN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Social despair in Vancouver that is centred in the East side, can be
easily redressed with provincial government leadership, which is
inspired by social responsibility. Unfortunately for British
Columbians the government of Premier Gordon Campbell seeks to
primarily serve the resource exploitation interests of largely U.S.
corporations over democratic ideals associated with defending the
quality-of-living of all people.

The worsening context of social despair in Vancouver's East Side
which effects the entire city's quality-of-living can be further
traced to the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which has
placed pressure on government in Canada to abandon vital social
policy initiatives.

Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) initiative documents
that, "The illicit drug problem and the accompanying crime and public
disorder caused by the drug problem are the greatest threats to
livability in Vancouver." http://www.castvancouver.org/

CAST further documents that most recent epidemiological data suggest
that approximately 33,000 British Columbians have a dependence upon
illicit drugs; rates of illegal drug use, drug-related mortality, and
drug-related pregnancy and childbirth complications are all higher in
BC than in the other provinces. Illegal drugs seized in BC have the
highest average potency in North America. In Greater Vancouver alone
in 2005 there were over 140,000 property crimes reported to police -
more than any other centre in Canada. Although the overall crime rate
in BC has decreased over the past decade, drug offences have increased by 63%.

The Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver is the oldest neighbourhood
in Vancouver, bearing the dubious distinction of being Canada's
poorest postal code. Once the thriving centre of turn of the century
Vancouver, the city's original City Hall, courthouse and first public
library are all located here.

Today, pockmarked heritage buildings and unsafe streets and alleys
have become a transitional home for thousands, and the homeless
population continues to rise. During the last official homelessness
count in Greater Vancouver in March 2005, officials estimated that
the total number of homeless had doubled to 2000 in just three years.