Pubdate: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Maple Ridge News Contact: http://www.mapleridgenews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328 Author: Harry B. Battle Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n232.a06.html DON'T CODDLE ADDICTS Re: Free heroin (NEWS Views, Feb. 9). Free heroin - why not? If one makes any derogatory comment against the "homeless" or "drug addicts" or certain ethnic groups who seem to make up most of the known gangs, one is branded as being uncaring, non-empathetic, racist, elitist and the beat goes on. Suppose we give free alcohol to alcoholics such as I? Is this supposed to wean them off their self-imposed hell? No way in hell will free drugs and free booze plus the multitude of declared "experts" in the field who are paid at our expense, save even one poor soul. There seems to be an aversion, in the judicial ranks, to hand out sentences that include mandatory and supervised drug and alcohol treatment. This of course means random urine tests and failure means re-incarceration with more treatment. As a society, we are deluding ourselves if we think that anything short of hard treatment will solve or help to solve the curse of addiction. As an adjunct, we are not helping those who need it most. Harry B. Battle Maple Ridge - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin