Pubdate: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: David Staples Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) Note: David Staples is a retired RCMP inspector. He spent 25 years of his 35-year career in drug enforcement and has conducted drug investigations in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia. ATTACK HEROIN ADDICTION THROUGH COMPULSORY DETOX Some years ago, Justice Wally Oppal teamed up with the provincial coroner to author a report on drug abuse in B.C. The report essentially recommended the legalization of certain street drugs. Now, a change of perspective may have altered his point of view Recently, Attorney General Oppal expressed his concern for the high rate of property crime. This gives me reason to be optimistic that he may actually do something worthwhile to deal with what he has acknowledged is the major influence upon property crime: Drug addiction and, in particular, heroin addiction. Many promote the legalization of street drugs, arguing that authorities have lost the war on drugs. But giving legal access to heroin in other countries has failed to eliminate illegal heroin trafficking in those countries and has not improved the rate of property crime: In fact, quite the contrary. The United Kingdom began to provide legal heroin during the early 1960s when their addict population was less than 100. Today their addict population is in the tens of thousands. Moreover, the progressive dependency and vicious addiction produced by heroin spawned a huge black market in response to vastly increased demand. Similar experiments in Switzerland and the Netherlands were evaluated by the World Health Organization and declared failures. It has been said that a definition of stupidity is "repeating a process which has always failed, expecting a different result." Our local and federal politicians are planning to repeat these failed policies by providing heroin (ostensibly on a trial basis) to selected addicts in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. In seeking a solution to Canadian heroin addiction we insist upon adopting policies that have not worked elsewhere rather than examining a policy that has proven successful. Japan claims to have humanely and effectively dealt with heroin addiction. During the 1960s, at a time when other nations were experiencing an exponential explosion in addict populations, Japan claimed that a heroin addict was as hard to find as a smallpox victim. The reason: Compulsory detoxification for those addicted to heroin. Detox facilities were established in more than 900 hospitals. In cases where withdrawal was not life-threatening, addicts faced withdrawal without chemical comforts to ease them through the painful withdrawal symptoms. Most addicts relapse after withdrawal but once identified and registered, addicts were subject to repeated detoxification when they became re-addicted. It would seem that in Japan most eventually abandoned heroin or went elsewhere. In 1978 the B.C. Social Credit government started a compulsory heroin treatment program under the auspices of the B.C. Alcohol and Drug Commission with the passage of Bill 18, The Heroin Treatment Act. In October, 1979 a challenge to the constitutionality of the bill by a methadone-dependent woman resulted in a decision by the Supreme Court of B.C., which ruled the act unconstitutional because she argued the police would have the power to remove her from her husband and children. A timorous health minister and the ambivalent government of that day would not support an appeal of the decision, opting instead for a policy of "benign neglect." Today, Victoria is home to some 2,000 heroin addicts. Virtually every one of these addicts has had a criminal record or was a criminal associate before becoming addicted. With few exceptions, addicts will directly or indirectly be responsible for most of the property crime in this city and this province. Moreover, nearly every one of them will eventually introduce a new addict to a life of addiction. Addict numbers continue to increase because heroin addiction is like a communicable disease. It should be treated similarly to infectious and contagious diseases such as SARS and tuberculosis with compulsory short-term quarantine. Doctors who are familiar with narcotic addiction estimate that withdrawal symptoms diminish and disappear after about five days. Addicts, of course, are left with a serious psychological addiction, but many will respond to the aversion strategy provided by repeated cold-turkey withdrawal. Our tax dollars should be used to provide more detox facilities. Many wards in acute care hospitals sit empty. We should not be aiding and encouraging the criminal use of illegal drugs by providing supervised shooting galleries, free needles that foul our parks and playgrounds, or free drugs to those who will continue to rob us blind. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman