Pubdate: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Sita von Windheim TREATMENT OVER ENFORCEMENT How long will it take for the public to realize that drug addiction is an illness and that treatment rather than punishment is the only humane answer to ending the suffering of the addicts as well as the public? B.C. Provincial Court Chief Judge Hugh Stansfield's refusal to send gravely-ill people to prison is a step in the right direction. It is time to declare an end to the drug war, stop criminalizing addiction and mental illness and use the millions of dollars now spent on enforcement on treatment instead. Sita von Windheim, Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman