CONTROVERSIAL DRUG CAMPAIGN HITS OTTAWA

OTTAWA -- Philip Owen is waging his own war against drugs in Canada. But a
big part of the battle is the politics around the Vancouver mayor's
controversial crusade.

Mr. Owen took his case for safe injection sites for drug users to Parliament
Hill yesterday to coincide with the Ottawa premiere of the documentary Fix:
The Story of an Addicted City.

"Politicians have got to look beyond tomorrow's headline," said Mr. Owen,
whose proposed solution for Vancouver's drug problem cost him the support of
his party. As a result, he is not running in the city's election this month.

Mr. Owen, 69, is lobbying the federal government to adopt a "harm-reduction"
approach, rather than the American-style war against drugs, which focuses on
enforcement.

He met with Health Minister Anne McLellan and other federal politicians who
were present last night for the screening of the film, in which he is
featured.

"People think that you need the hard arm of the law and the war on drugs
works," he said.

"If you want the status quo, than we'll have increased disease, death and
crime. But that is not the way to go. You have to realize the user is sick
and the dealer is evil."

Fix, directed by Nettie Wild, tells the story of Dean Wilson, a former IBM
salesman and heroin addict, who leads the fight to open North America's
first safe injection site for drug users in Vancouver.

Ms. Wild said she was impressed by Mr. Owen's willingness to put his
convictions ahead of scoring political points.

"This guy has stood up to something, and it's more important than his job."

Mr. Owen was dropped as the incumbent candidate by the right-of-centre
Non-Partisan Association (NPA) mainly because the drug policy he advocates
calls for centres where addicts can inject illegal narcotics under medical
supervision.

The recommendation for safe injection sites has met resistance from
businesses in Vancouver. Opponents claim it will attract even more drug
users and crime into the city's Downtown Eastside.

But Mr. Owen's message appears to be resonating with other municipalities
and with the federal government.

Health Canada is preparing a "guidance document" for municipalities later
this month to make proposals to the federal government for such sites.

Twenty cities, among them Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary, backed a Federation
of Canadian Municipalities motion spearheaded by Mr. Owen to identify "three
or four cities" in Canada willing to participate with Health Canada in
scientific trials of supervised sites.

Proponents say safe injection sites allow addicts to make contact with
health professionals who can help them get treatment.