THE PATH TO ADDICTION

Moncton's drug problem is getting worse, with yet another needle
turning up in a public place.

What's being done to help users and protect the public at large?

It was right there, lying in the middle of the path. Nearly covered by
the empty cigarette package, you could just see the little tube
sticking out. A syringe used for who-knows-what, lying in a path
walked daily by dozens of people. Luckily, the needle itself was gone;
it had been broken off the end of the syringe. Whoever had used it had
been considerate enough to do that much.

And no, we're not talking about Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver or
another thriving metropolis. This is in little ol' Moncton - Downtown
Moncton at that, along one of the most travelled streets off Main.

It's unsettling when you consider that only a month prior to this
needle being found, a five-year-old boy was pricked by a similar
needle found a few blocks away in Summit Park, in front of the
Aberdeen Cultural Centre on Botsford St. A daycare centre found one on
their playground not long ago. Another needle was found in Victoria
Park. A local school put up fencing to keep out the drug users that
had frequented their grounds late at night.

Cpl. Terry Kennedy of the Codiac RCMP says there is no doubt needles
are being found more often in Metro Moncton. He says the crime rate in
Moncton is lower than it was a year ago, but many of the robberies and
'break and enters' that do happen now, occur because someone needs
money for drugs.

He says that the commonly injected drugs in Moncton are dilaudid and
oxycontin. Heroin is a factor too, but he says, "the supply in Moncton
is very inconsistent."

John Fournier, Team Leader for YMCA Reconnect, a group dealing with
the homeless, near-homeless, and just people who need a hand getting
back on their feet, says he sees drug users regularly.

"After he shot up, he would come in and talk with us," he says of one
client. "The city is not getting any smaller," he says, referring to
Metro Moncton's constant growth. With all of the growth comes good and
bad.

Instead of answering the question, "is there much of a drug scene in
Moncton?" SIDA-AIDS Moncton executive director Debby Warren opens up a
folder on her desk. Inside lies a stack of newspaper clippings about
an inch thick. Warren rattles off headlines and dates of
publication.

The majority of these little clippings are from the Times &
Transcript's daily Police Beat section, which focuses on small crimes
in the Metro area. Every clipping Warren points out has "drug related"
crimes mentioned in the first sentence. And this stack of stories is
just from 2004.

"These are desperate people doing desperate things," she says,
explaining that not all drug addicts are bad people. "You have to
understand what addictions are about. An addiction is an illness. I
can somewhat understand. I choose to smoke. We're educated people. Why
do we choose that?" Warren has been fighting a five-year battle with
SIDA-AIDS Moncton, and their counterparts AIDS Saint John and AIDS
Fredericton, to bring harm reduction programs for drug users to New
Brunswick. Harm reduction, according to Warren, won't necessarily stop
drug users from using drugs, but it will limit the extent of the harm
they're doing to themselves.

She uses pen caps as an example. Pen caps have holes in the top, so
that if someone chewing away on the cap manages to swallow it and get
it lodged in their throat, they can still breathe. They need to get
the cap out, but in the meantime, the hole allows them to continue
breathing.

With drug users, the harm reduction process can involve needle
exchanges or methadone clinics. The needle exchange would be a place
where drug users can bring their dirty needles, no questions asked,
and have them disposed of safely. In return, they receive clean needles.

It doesn't stop them from injecting, but Warren says the goal is
"getting dirty needles off the streets. We don't ask what you use the
needles for. "They will shoot up (either way). They'll find a way."

While needle exchanges aren't available in Moncton, users have access
to a methadone clinic. Methadone is a narcotic, and can be taken in
place of opiates, including heroin. It's not injected, but instead
ingested. It fulfills ones need for the opiate, and is much less
harmful than heroin. Methadone only has a 24-hour staying power, so a
clinic would allow a person in need to drop by each morning before
going to work, or on their lunch break to take their swig of methadone
in front of a pharmacist and go back to their day.

Warren says, "you would not even know that they're on it. They can
think rationally, they can drive a vehicle."

She says it doesn't stop the drug use, but it is "the lesser of two
evils." It keeps people from using needles, and keeps them on a drug
that isn't as bad as what they're getting on the street. Currently,
there is a methadone treatment offered in Moncton, and about 150
people are treated weekly. Jean Daigle, director of addictions and
mental health services for the South East Regional Health Care
Authority says, "the frequency (for opiate use) is more than it was
five years ago. Everything is on the rise."

AIDS Saint John and AIDS Fredericton both have needle exchange
programs. In 2002, SIDA-AIDS Moncton facilitated the development of a
similar program. They worked with a local committee consisting of
Addictions Services, the RCMP and the John Howard Society, but they've
been warned by their counterparts in the other cities that there is
more than meets the eye when it comes to running such a program.

"They've cautioned us about the resources needed to run this program
effectively," Warren says. Last year, AIDS Saint John had
approximately 55,000 needles turned into them.

"We can't jeopardize all of the work we've done since 1989" to put
every resource into one idea, whether it's the needle exchange or
something else. The province hasn't responded to calls for needle
exchange programs yet, but it appears to be a growing concern at the
municipal level. On November 1, it was announced that The Cities of
New Brunswick Association would be lobbying for access to needle
exchange programs and methadone maintenance treatment programs in all
regions of the province. Warren says these programs would serve two
purposes: reducing the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, and reducing the
risk to residents by keeping dirty needles off the streets.

Health and Wellness Minister Elvy Robichaud announced earlier this
year that the province was looking at standardized methadone treatment
programs for the province, but he hasn't given a timeline for when
this may begin.

"I don't know what the solution is, but we've got to do something,"
says Warren. "We need to get it on the public agenda," she adds,
saying concerned citizens should be calling their local MLAs, the
Health and Wellness Minister, and Premier Bernard Lord.

"When I have government agencies calling me asking me what to do with
dirty needles..." she trails off, frustrated with the lack of
education out on AIDS-related drug issues. For now, the RCMP handles
needles when they're found on the streets. Cpl. Kennedy says when they
receive calls about needles, they pick them up using thick gloves, a
clear, hardened container, and above all, caution.

"You have to take responsibility," he says to anyone who might find
needles. Kennedy doesn't recommend disposing of needles yourself, but
says if you're in a situation where the needle needs to be looked
after immediately, very carefully place it (needle-end in first) into
a clear, hard container. It should be clear so when a health official
goes to dispose of the needle, they can see where it's situated in the
container before reaching in. He says that a needle should never just
be thrown into the garbage as that endangers maintenance workers and
waste disposal workers.

Kennedy says the key starts with education. Officers trained in the
drug awareness program Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
teach Grade 5 students of the dangers of drugs each year through a
17-week course.

Warren agrees with Kennedy that education is key. She says that there
is a lot more educating to be done. In March of this year, Warren met
with Premier Lord to discuss issues that increase people's risk of
homelessness - addictions, poverty, lack of employment, etc. She says
she had a "light-bulb moment" while talking with him.

Lord said, "Well, they choose to do drugs."

"When someone in such a high position says that, we know that we have
a lot of education to do."