FREE HEROIN PROJECT CAN HELP ADDICTS COME CLEAN

The intolerance expressed by some readers is scary.

One Province reader questioned why there are no free needles for diabetics.
Diabetics don't share needles. They don't need to.

Diabetics are not labelled junkies. They're not trash to be left on the street.

Diabetics do not spend all their energy getting their next dose of insulin.
They are able to work and lead fulfilling lives.

The staff at the safe-injection site get a chance to counsel the patients
there, treat them without judgment, encourage them to get their lives
together and facilitate health care.

With free heroin, addicts don't need to sell themselves or steal to get
their next fix.

The city wins with less crime. The addicts win by having a more stable
lifestyle in which to overcome their addictions and even maybe even hold
down a decent job.

The free heroin doesn't encourage them to continue their habit. They are
already addicted.

Why not try a new treatment? I doubt it would cost taxpayers more than a
dollar a year.

It took Ray Charles 17 years to kick his habit, but he had the money to pay
for it.

Kevin Barret

Vancouver