Pubdate: Fri, 30 May 2008 Source: Prince Albert Daily Herald (CN SN) Copyright: 2008 Prince Albert Daily Herald Contact: http://www.paherald.sk.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1918 TORIES MUST TACKLE ADDICTIONS For a variety of reasons, Prince Albert suffers from substance abuse problems and they are of a magnitude demanding immediate attention. But this week the federal government made a move that suggests it has no long-term vision. Prince Albert is in the midst of a large-scale drug enforcement operation that has so far yielded 18 arrests with more expected. But are arrests enough? Critics note the failure of law enforcement: the U.S. "war on drugs" has hardly been successful, after all. Yet the alternative of legalizing some of the substances currently wreaking havoc in our community seems to many an inappropriate option. We need alternatives and novel approaches. Governments, once slow to build addictions treatment centres, are now looking at treatment and prevention as a viable solution. Some success has been noted, but not enough to make a measurable difference in addiction rates and associated crime. Somewhere in all of this, we - as a country - must create a viable plan to deal with the growing problem of drug use and drug addiction. The fate of addicts and communities with drug problems like Prince Albert depends on what we, as a nation, decide to do. Earlier this week, the B.C. Supreme Court rendered a decision that effectively ensured continued operation of Insite, the legalized drug-injection facility in Vancouver. More than 20 scientifically accepted studies suggest that the facility can offer some form of measurable benefit. We can infer that from the federal government's rapid-fire decision to appeal that decision that the Conservatives are not open to any form of innovation on a challenging topic, despite proven evidence that the safe-injection site has some role to play in an overall strategy. But there isn't an overall strategy and the Tories are apparently not interested in creating one. So far, the only wisp of a plan relies largely on enforcement alone. While enforcement does play a role, it hardly has a record of proven effectiveness. Something else has to happen, but the mere inability of the current government to explore potentially viable alternatives suggests to us that we may be left dealing with a worsening problem without any new tools to deal with it. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek