Pubdate: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: John Aveline INSITE CONDONES CRIME, HARMS US ALL To the editor: I am a fiscal moderate and a social liberal. I do not support Stephen Harper, but I am absolutely against Insite--period! So it's frustrating for me to keep seeing the discussion of Insite politicized, as it was yet again in Allen Garr's Sept 24 editorial ("Ladner jabbed for Insite stance"), in which he suggested that Ladner and Capri are critiquing Insite in order to attract the right wing of the party. I read, on a pro-Insite website (Vancouver Coastal Health), about the benefits of Insite--that it reduces injection litter, teaches drug users safer injection practices, eliminates deaths by overdose, and results in more addicts entering detox programs. Let's put this in some perspective. Litter reduction: That's very funny--a serious problem concerning illegal drugs is litter. "Hey, we just hit an iceberg, let's re-arrange the deck chairs!" Safer injection practices and overdose deaths: Let's face reality here--drug addicts are killing themselves. Making sure an addict is using a clean needle is like making sure that someone committing suicide isn't using a rusty knife to slit their wrists. As for overdoses, that's the difference between addicts killing themselves all at once or piece by piece. Detox programs: While it's good to see addicts signing up, I would be more interested in seeing the success rate of these programs. I suspect it's pretty hard to stay clean when you're right in the middle of illicit drug use 24-7. When I see Insite, I see a program that condones, if not fosters, criminal activity. Heroin and cocaine are illegal, remember? And how were these drugs obtained? Most of the time through the proceeds of crime: theft, trafficking, prostitution. So, if you support Insite, you are supporting crime. I hate seeing people destroying themselves with drugs, but they're doing it to themselves. They made the conscious decision to start using drugs. That wound is self-inflicted, but we all get to feel the pain. John Aveline Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin