PIPES GET GREEN LIGHT

Party Supports View Of Crack Use As Medical, Not Criminal Problem,
Leader Says

The Green Party of Ontario has thrown its support behind Ottawa's
cancelled crack-pipe program, saying that it will work with the
governing party after the election to ensure the program is resumed
and expanded.

The city shut down the program in July. However, several community
organizations have dug into their own pockets to continue handing out
the controversial pipes.

In a release originating from the party's Ottawa Centre constituency
association, the Greens called the program a "local example of their
provincial policies of preventative health care and harm reduction."

Party leader Frank de Jong said that while it's not a plank in the
party's platform at the provincial level, it does reflect the party's
stance on taking the criminal element out of drugs and thereby
reducing the associated medical costs.

REDUCE HARM

"It's the sentiment of the party to reduce harm to people and turn
addictions into a medical problem rather than a criminal problem,"
said de Jong.

In fact, most of the candidates in the Ottawa Centre riding seem to
agree that the crack-pipe program deserves a second look.

Conservative candidate Trina Morissette agreed that the province must
work with the municipal government to address the issue of crack use
on Ottawa streets. Part of the solution would be the creation of a
drug-treatment centre and police must be given the tools to deal with
the problem.

"By providing them with the paraphernalia to feed their addiction, we
are not getting to the root of the problem -- these people are
addicted to crack and until they get the necessary treatment the
problem is still going to exist," she said.

PART OF SOLUTION

Liberal candidate, Yasir Naqvi, said that harm reduction programming
and access to treatment are only part of the solution and that crime
prevention and social development legislation is needed to deal with
the use of drugs.

"Drugs are an issue that is not an Ottawa-specific problem, it exists
in a lot of urban centres," he said.

Illegal drug use is an issue that is not confined to the municipal
jurisdiction, but is a health issue that all levels of government must
tackle in order to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and
other blood-borne diseases, said NDP candidate Will Murray.

"This is a public health issue and people are suffering unnecessarily
and we are going to be picking up the tab," he said. "It doesn't make
sense to waste money when it's a relatively inexpensive program which
can help prevent disease."