Pubdate: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n095/a07.html Author: Georges Bedard DRUG TREATMENT CENTRE OFFERS BETTER HOPE Re: Taming the beast of addiction takes effort, Jan. 24. Although letter-writer George Smitherman, our minister of health and long-term care, praises the crack-pipe program for its role in harm reduction to crack cocaine addiction, he undermines his own argument by further extolling its virtues as a catalyst for talk between the user and the health-care worker about a better "crack-free" life. While I support the principles of harm reduction, I fail to see how the contact between the user and the health-care worker amounts to much. Ottawa has very little access to very few addiction treatment options and waiting lists for treatment range from one month to a year. The Ontario government needs to establish a treatment centre for Ottawa and other municipalities struggling with the "treacherous beast" of crack cocaine addiction. Crack pipes might lessen the harm to the crack smoker. Talks with a health-care worker might offer a glimmer of hope for a moment or two, but when the talk shifts to actually getting into treatment that hope is gone in one puff. GEORGES BEDARD, Ottawa Councillor, Rideau-Vanier - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath