News (Media Awareness Project) - CN ON: Column: Snuff Pipe Plan |
Title: | CN ON: Column: Snuff Pipe Plan |
Published On: | 2005-03-31 |
Source: | Ottawa Sun (CN ON) |
Fetched On: | 2008-01-16 19:17:30 |
SNUFF PIPE PLAN
Yesterday's front page photo and ensuing story by Nelly Elayoubi about
free crack pipe kits being added to the drug paraphernalia buffet on
offer in the City's controversial needle-exchange program was disturbing.
If the story were to run tomorrow morning, then I could dismiss it as
a cruel April Fool's joke. Sadly, this is the city's so-called sound
approach to a serious problem.
Simply stated, this strikes me as a stupendously stupid idea. Public
health officials call it compassionate intervention: I call it
societal negligence bordering on criminal proportions.
Now, before everyone gets up in arms about my "ignorant" opinion,
let's get a few things on the table.
I acknowledge that hard-core drug use is a serious and growing problem
among certain population segments in our city. And I fully believe
that drug addicts need our help.
It is not their problem; it truly is our collective problem and we
should, through our tax dollars, see to it that our best efforts are
made -- through government and other community agencies -- to help
people kick these dangerous habits, reduce the incidence of illegal
drug use, and make our communities safer and better places to live.
However, I have a fundamental problem with the philosophical approach
that underpins the needle-exchange program. In theory, if we provide
addicts with clean and safe needles, they will not be as likely to use
or share dirty needles and over a period of time, we can arrest the
growth and ultimately the incidence of HIV and hepatitis C infections
amongst this population group.
But here's the rub. Public health officials haven't provided us with
any evidence of reducing infection rates through the needle exchange
program to date. On the contrary, we have the second highest rate of
HIV infection in Canada and the dubious honour of having the highest
rate of hep C infection in Ontario among intravenous drug users.
Somehow I don't think these high rankings are going to show up as tag
lines in the next "Come visit Ottawa" campaign. But I digress.
Furthermore, the approach of giving drug addicts cleaner tools to ply
their trade runs counter to the intervention and remediation
strategies we employ when tackling other societal problems. Imagine if
we employed the same needle-exchange philosophy in other areas.
Would we tackle gang violence in a neighbourhood by arming competing
gangs with more knives and guns? Would we combat the problem of
escalating suburban break-ins by giving local thieves alarm codes and
family work schedules? Would we equip local graffiti vandals with new
cans of spray paint?
Do we give the alcoholic a gift card to the LCBO? Do we park an
express bus to the casino outside a Gamblers Anonymous meeting? Should
we give smokers light cigarettes to help them kick their nicotine habit?
All these ideas are not only ludicrous; they are offensive in the
extreme. But they make my point: When it comes to changing societal
attitudes about behaviours which are just plain wrong, we discourage
them -- either by suasion or by force of law -- and never encourage
the offending behaviours.
Yet when it comes to hard-core drug addiction, proponents of
needle-exchange philosophy are in effect asking us to look the other
way and tolerate or condone illegal behaviour by giving out free
needles and crack pipe kits.
Still not convinced? Then let's go right to the issue that helped sink
my Conservative friends in the last election: Child
pornography.
Do we allow convicted pedophiles to re-integrate into the community by
offering them housing right next to a local primary school? Of course
we don't, it is a repugnant and revolting suggestion. Yet it is this
same logic (or rather, illogic) that underlies the needle-exchange
program.
Is there anyone at city hall who can marshal a majority of council to
just say no to the nuttiness of a needle-exchange program and similar
efforts?
As long as we allow this warped sense of compassion to drive our
strategies and efforts in dealing with hard-core drug abuse and
addiction in our community, we help no one ... neither the addicts
themselves nor the community at large. And that is societal negligence
bordering on criminal proportions, financed by your hard-earned
property tax dollars.
Yesterday's front page photo and ensuing story by Nelly Elayoubi about
free crack pipe kits being added to the drug paraphernalia buffet on
offer in the City's controversial needle-exchange program was disturbing.
If the story were to run tomorrow morning, then I could dismiss it as
a cruel April Fool's joke. Sadly, this is the city's so-called sound
approach to a serious problem.
Simply stated, this strikes me as a stupendously stupid idea. Public
health officials call it compassionate intervention: I call it
societal negligence bordering on criminal proportions.
Now, before everyone gets up in arms about my "ignorant" opinion,
let's get a few things on the table.
I acknowledge that hard-core drug use is a serious and growing problem
among certain population segments in our city. And I fully believe
that drug addicts need our help.
It is not their problem; it truly is our collective problem and we
should, through our tax dollars, see to it that our best efforts are
made -- through government and other community agencies -- to help
people kick these dangerous habits, reduce the incidence of illegal
drug use, and make our communities safer and better places to live.
However, I have a fundamental problem with the philosophical approach
that underpins the needle-exchange program. In theory, if we provide
addicts with clean and safe needles, they will not be as likely to use
or share dirty needles and over a period of time, we can arrest the
growth and ultimately the incidence of HIV and hepatitis C infections
amongst this population group.
But here's the rub. Public health officials haven't provided us with
any evidence of reducing infection rates through the needle exchange
program to date. On the contrary, we have the second highest rate of
HIV infection in Canada and the dubious honour of having the highest
rate of hep C infection in Ontario among intravenous drug users.
Somehow I don't think these high rankings are going to show up as tag
lines in the next "Come visit Ottawa" campaign. But I digress.
Furthermore, the approach of giving drug addicts cleaner tools to ply
their trade runs counter to the intervention and remediation
strategies we employ when tackling other societal problems. Imagine if
we employed the same needle-exchange philosophy in other areas.
Would we tackle gang violence in a neighbourhood by arming competing
gangs with more knives and guns? Would we combat the problem of
escalating suburban break-ins by giving local thieves alarm codes and
family work schedules? Would we equip local graffiti vandals with new
cans of spray paint?
Do we give the alcoholic a gift card to the LCBO? Do we park an
express bus to the casino outside a Gamblers Anonymous meeting? Should
we give smokers light cigarettes to help them kick their nicotine habit?
All these ideas are not only ludicrous; they are offensive in the
extreme. But they make my point: When it comes to changing societal
attitudes about behaviours which are just plain wrong, we discourage
them -- either by suasion or by force of law -- and never encourage
the offending behaviours.
Yet when it comes to hard-core drug addiction, proponents of
needle-exchange philosophy are in effect asking us to look the other
way and tolerate or condone illegal behaviour by giving out free
needles and crack pipe kits.
Still not convinced? Then let's go right to the issue that helped sink
my Conservative friends in the last election: Child
pornography.
Do we allow convicted pedophiles to re-integrate into the community by
offering them housing right next to a local primary school? Of course
we don't, it is a repugnant and revolting suggestion. Yet it is this
same logic (or rather, illogic) that underlies the needle-exchange
program.
Is there anyone at city hall who can marshal a majority of council to
just say no to the nuttiness of a needle-exchange program and similar
efforts?
As long as we allow this warped sense of compassion to drive our
strategies and efforts in dealing with hard-core drug abuse and
addiction in our community, we help no one ... neither the addicts
themselves nor the community at large. And that is societal negligence
bordering on criminal proportions, financed by your hard-earned
property tax dollars.
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