CRACK CANNOT BE SAFE

The Safer Inhalation Program that gives clean crack-pipe kits to
Ottawa addicts is badly named. It implies that inhaling a highly
addictive drug is safe but can be made safer. Inhaling crack is never
safe. The order in which the "four pillars" of Ottawa's anti-drugs
program -- treatment, prevention, harm-reduction and enforcement --
are listed also is flawed. Surely prevention is the most important.
If harm-reduction includes reducing the spread of HIV, a fifth
pillar, detection, is required. Those infected can't be treated if
they are not identified.

Any review of the crack-pipe program should provide information about
the cost of maintaining a kit of pipe stems, rubber mouthpieces and
brass screens as well as the cost of the drugs needed to sustain an
addiction. Is drug equipment beyond the means of drug-users, or are
the addicted unable to make rational decisions about drug use? If the
latter, how effective can any program be that makes it "safer" for
users to satisfy their addiction?

William Armstrong, Ottawa