Pubdate: Mon, 30 Sep 2002
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

WE DON'T WANT SAFE-INJECTION SITES

The B.C. Nurses' Union is pushing to have a type of mobile safe-injection 
site program currently in use in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside expanded to 
other cities in the province.

The reasoning is that drug use is out there already. A group of nurses walk 
around the east side and provide addicts with clean needles and then watch 
as they use them.

We don't buy into that argument for a minute. As we've put forward before, 
you don't see groups assisting alcoholics by providing them with bottle 
openers or chilled glasses filled with ice because it's safer to keep them 
at home rather than behind the wheel of a car.

Now having said that, we are not against helping drug addicts kick their 
habit and get back to a productive life. We realize these people need help, 
but how about using the money to provide more beds in recovery centres for 
addicts or establish programs to get them off the street.

Providing addicts with a safe-injection site is not the answer - short-term 
or otherwise - and we don't need such a program in Richmond.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D