Pubdate: Wed, 03 Mar 2010
Source: Burnaby Now, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.burnabynow.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1592
Author: Eva Derton
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n146/a08.html

DON'T TELL B.C. WHAT TO DO

Dear Editor:

Re: Ideological blinkers are clear, Letters to the editor, Burnaby 
NOW, Feb. 27.

Marijuana advocate T. J. Meehan, from Kingston, Ont., has accused me 
of being blinded by ideology and of plagiarizing an e-mail message 
which, he says, has been sent to Conservative Party supporters. While 
I have never seen that message, it would be interesting to know how 
Mr. Meehan managed to get on that list. Perhaps he could advise us 
how to subscribe.

When writing a letter for publication, I do the necessary research to 
educate myself on the subject matter. Whether Mr. Meehan likes it or 
not, the underlying principles of Canada's official national 
anti-drug strategy are precisely as I have described them.

If Mr. Meehan is not blinded by ideology, he should be able to 
explain in his own words, and without invoking mysterious 
"peer-reviewed science," his claim that the Insite supervised 
injection site "works to decrease crime." Given that Insite clients 
inject street obtained illicit drugs, how do they get the money to 
pay the drug dealers without having to resort to crime?

If Mr. Meehan likes Insite so much, he should promote a similar 
facility for his own neighbourhood in Ontario, instead of telling us 
what is best for B.C. We, who live here, see what is going on our 
streets, and we are the ones who suffer the consequences every day.

Eva Derton,

Burnaby
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom