SOLUTION WITH MERIT

A few people may have tsk-tsked noisily at Councillor Muriel Arnason's
suggestion for a solution to the rising car-theft problem in Langley.

But she may not be far off the mark.

A member of Langley Township Council for more than a quarter of a
century, Arnason has been known to come up with some head-shaker
ideas, her stance on some issues has been been confusing and difficult
to comprehend, and many feel that she sometimes votes contrary to the
rest of her council colleagues just because it's contrary to the way
everybody else is voting.

But her idea to provide free drugs - under doctors' supervision - to
those who are addicted to illegal substances has merit.

Arnason is proposing that drug addiction be treated as a disease, an
infirmity, a medical condition - and if left untreated, a costly one
at that.

She noted the rising car theft statistics, presented by ICBC. She
certainly took to heart the law enforcement proposition that cars are
being stolen by drug addicts desperate for money to buy their drugs.

The stolen vehicles are used to commit break and enters and other
robberies in which the thieves re-sell the items they steal, for
pennies on the dollar.

Meanwhile, the risks involved in the illegal drug trade - not only
from law enforcement efforts, but from in-fighting as the criminals
battle each other for customers - hike the prices so that more
vehicles have to be stolen to commit more robberies to raise more
money to buy the drugs that the addicts need.

And make no mistake about it, the addicts "need" their drugs. As
Arnason pointed out, they will do anything and everything to get the
money for those drugs.

Treating addiction as a medical problem takes the drugs off the
streets, and removes the incentives for criminal dealers to hook new
customers.

Drug addiction won't instantly disappear.

But then, neither will cancer or diabetes.

And you'll probably still have your car.