Pubdate: Wed, 13 Dec 2000
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2000 The Province
Contact:  200 Granville Street, Ste. #1, Vancouver, BC V6C 3N3 Canada
Fax: (604) 605-2323
Website: http://www.vancouverprovince.com/
Website: http://www.vancouverprovince.com/
Author: Susan Martinuk

'PLEASE, MR. MAYOR, DON'T ABANDON THEM TO LIFETIME OF DRUGS'

Vancouver's mayor, Philip Owen, has finally lived up to his promise to
develop an innovative and comprehensive strategy to deal with
Vancouver's now-legendary downtown drug crisis.

Unfortunately, his first attempt at an "all-encompassing" drug plan
has a key flaw that will undoubtedly serve only to undermine the rest
of the strategy and any potential it has to bring the downtown drug
problem under control.

The flaw? Two words; harm reduction.

Harm reduction is one of the four pillars that uphold Owen's strategy
(in addition to prevention, treatment and enforcement).

To Owen, harm reduction means that taxpayers should pay to investigate
the provision of safe injection houses for the downtown crowd to hang
out, free housing for users (both temporary and long-term options),
needle-exchange programs and free drugs for users (which is also
covered under the treatment proposal of this plan -- so either way,
things are looking good for getting more drugs to the addicts).

As expected, Premier Ujjal Dosanjh wants Owen to take harm reduction
one step farther, by having doctors prescribe drugs to users.

But "harm reduction" is a deceiving, frightening term, somewhat akin
to using euphemisms like "mercy killing" for knocking off sick family
members or friends and "reproductive rights" for scraping an unborn
child out of a uterus. In short, "harm reduction" is a political means
that allows those in power to not have to deal with the underlying
issues.

Sadly, harm reduction has been embraced as a "cheap fix" for our drug
problems by the supposedly compassionate, small-l liberals that serve
in the media and policy development. But harm reduction has nothing to
do with compassion.

Compassion comes from the Latin word "compassio," which means to come
alongside, to suffer with another. Harm reduction says to the drug
user, "We respect your choice to destroy your life and we will assist
you in doing that. Here, have more drugs. Knock yourself out. Live
your life out in a state of brain-dead, pharmaceutical oblivion. We'll
even pay for it."

This builds a better life for drug addicts?

Of course, most people who support this strategy will point to places
well-known for harm-reduction programs, such as the Netherlands. But
perhaps they should look at what harm-reduction has reaped in that
country.

A number of months ago, The National Post reported on how the
Netherlands is dealing with the products of its harm reduction
programs -- large numbers of hard-core, life-time drug addicts who, in
their 40's, are now experiencing the same medical problems as others
typically experience in their 70's or 80's.

Clearly, these hard-core drug addicts have needs beyond that which
safe-injection houses can provide. So the Netherlands is now
establishing homes for aging drug users, to give them comfort, safety,
food, and whatever drugs they would like.

In other words, those whose lives have been fed by that country's
"harm reduction" policies can now come to these homes to stay on drugs
and wait for death to come.

It was a sad, gut-wrenching picture that clearly reveals where harm
reduction leads. It leads to nowhere. You take drugs to survive until
you die. Is this compassion? If so, please spare me your comforts.

Is this a part of the solution to Vancouver's drug problem? If so, it
simply won't work. Safe-injection sites and prescription drugs may
make our streets look tidier and more presentable, but they do nothing
to change lives. Pushing the dust under the carpet never does deal
with the dust -- it's there until it's dealt with.

B.C. and Vancouver can, and should be required to, do better than
this.The drug problem is complex and solutions must involve medical,
legal and social supports.

In general, the trend should be towards giving treatment to addicts
and using the full extent of the law to deal with the drug growers,
providers, kingpins and traffickers who are gleefully destroying lives
for their own monetary gain.

Use the law to punish the providers, Mr. Owen. Use money, treatment
programs and hundreds of social workers to "come alongside" addicts
and help them make a clear choice to give up drugs, get help and build
a workable plan to get out of the downtown area. But don't abandon
users to a lifetime of drugs. 
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