Pubdate: Sat, 23 Jan 2010
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Laura Pow
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n057/a01.html

VICES LICIT AND ILLICIT

Re: Feds should not appeal Insite decision, Jan. 20 I read your 
editorial about the federal government considering appealing the B.C. 
Court of Appeal decision regarding Insite, Vancouver's supervised 
injection site. What Ottawa is effectively saying is that criminal 
law trumps health care and that it's better for the person to be 
thrown in jail than have his body taken care of. That's as ignorant 
as saying alcoholics belong in prison. Drugs are mind-altering and 
addictive, alcohol is mind-altering and addictive -- what's the difference?

Liquor kills 40,000 people a year in this country and cigarettes kill 
50,000, while drugs kill 2,000. What should be the measuring stick we 
use when we decide what should be legal or illegal? Shouldn't it be 
deaths? Shouldn't we say legal vices kill 45 times more people than 
illegal vices?

Either make them all illegal or make them all legal. It's a no-brainer.

Laura Pow

Vancouver
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