SAFE-INJECTION SITES OFFER NO SOLUTION

Thank goodness the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce has announced
it is "adamantly opposed" to the proposed drug consumption sites for Victoria.

Drug-addicted people are flocking here from across Canada to enjoy
our good weather and our goodwill.

Mayor Alan Lowe and others are convinced the best way to deal with
this crisis is to try to sweep it under the carpet by taking it off
the streets and glossing it over in government-sponsored
drug-consumption facilities. There has to be a better way.

Many of the desperate drug-addicted people in Victoria are crying out
for help. Police officers who deal with this problem day after day
are frustrated when they know there is no real assistance for them.

Our community needs to give the police a viable place to take these
people when they plead for help. One possibility could be to convert
William Head into a drug-rehabilitation centre. Residents would be
required to become well, to work with the education, housing and
occupational support staff and would only be allowed to graduate when
they were ready to pursue a productive and healthy life.

Paul Arnold

Victoria.