Pubdate: Tue, 12 Sep 2000
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2000 Southam Inc.
Contact:  300 - 1450 Don Mills Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3R5
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Author: Brad Wilcox

THE DRUG WAR

Re: Target 'Victims' to Solve the Drug Problem, Sept. 9.

David Frum would equate "getting yourself addicted" to a bad stock market 
investment, something taxpayers should have no interest in helping anyone 
recover from. I suppose he would also favour denying health insurance to 
smokers and alcoholics who need heart, lung or liver-related medical 
treatment, as a way to send potential users a message.

Creating public policy that ignores or stigmatizes addicts reflects an 
almost sociopathic unwillingness to confront the painful reality that 
something as disturbing as heroin addiction can happen to anyone. I would 
like to think that such unhelpful, intolerant proposals such as Mr. Frum's 
do not warrant attention. Unfortunately, this sort of wrongheadedness from 
an otherwise respectable source tends to take political roots (e.g., 
Ontario Tories) if unchecked.

Brad Wilcox,

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
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