Pubdate: Fri, 05 May 2006 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Mike Howell, Staff writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) NAOMI'S INTERESTING TWISTS CHANGED MAYOR'S MIND ON FREE DRUG PROJECT Mayor Sam Sullivan has reversed his belief that the city's heroin trials should be ditched in favour of the government prescribing drugs to addicts. In a March 27, 2005 article in the Courier, then-councillor Sullivan said the sooner the government dispensed heroin, the sooner crime such as burglaries caused by addicts would decrease in Vancouver. "Right now, we have a trial, and I understand this is a proper way to go about this," he said in the article. "But personally, I question why we need a trial. We know it works. It's been tried in Europe." But in an interview Wednesday, Sullivan said he hadn't been aware of the depth of research conducted at the North American Opiate Medication Initiative [NAOMI] trials in the Downtown Eastside. "When I said those things, I just thought it was a replication of what they were doing in other areas," the mayor said. "I hadn't realized that there were some interesting twists to the research that could actually be useful for other jurisdictions." The "twists," he said, were that 45 per cent of the addicts participating in the program are given methadone, 45 per cent get heroin and 10 per cent use an opiate called Dilaudid. "So the NAOMI project is coming up with some interesting additions to what has already been learned in other areas, so I see how useful it can be." As mayor, Sullivan said last month he wants female sex trade workers to be given drugs to manage their addictions-if all treatment options fail. His idea coincides with the release of his statement for the RCMP on why he gave money to two addicts to buy drugs when he was a city councillor. Sullivan admitted to the Courier during the 2005 election campaign that he gave the addicts money to prevent them from committing crimes to pay for their habit. In his statement, Sullivan wrote that former mayor Larry Campbell and his Vision Vancouver party "made these experiences a focus of their campaign and in particular bombarded the Chinese media with inflammatory advertisements." After reading Sullivan's statement, which Sullivan made available through a public relations firm, Campbell, now a senator, pointed out that Sullivan is "the one who talked to the media about it, I never talked to the media about it." Campbell, chair of the police board at the time, said he wrote to the Solicitor General asking for guidance. Police Chief Jamie Graham simultaneously asked the RCMP to review the case. RCMP Cpl. Tom Seaman of the department's headquarters in Vancouver said police expect to conclude their review before the end of the month. Campbell said he is confused by the mayor's stance on drugs. He said Sullivan has to be clear when making pronouncements, whether it's about giving money to addicts or calling for the distribution of drugs to prostitutes. "The contradictions continually go on. Every time I bring it to people's attention, they say I'm picking on Sam. I'm not picking on Sam. Sam does it to himself." Added Campbell: "Sam's the mayor. I accept that completely. But if you're going to lead, you have to have a plan. You just can't sort of have this vision in your eyes and then that's what's going to happen." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman