Pubdate: Thu, 26 Jun 2014
Source: St. Thomas Times-Journal (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Sun Media
Contact: http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/letters
Website: http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/953
Author: Don Biggs
Page: 3

FREE CRACK PIPES HAVE POLICE APPREHENSIVE

While health units across the province are providing free crack pipes 
to drug users in an effort to reduce the transmission of hepatitis C, 
the move is being watched by various police units with guarded apprehension.

Elgin St. Thomas Public Health has been conducting, for the past few 
weeks, a pilot project where they've been handing out safe inhalation 
equipment to drug users.

According to David Smith, Manager of Clinical Services at the health 
unit, studies show the chances of transmitting blood-borne infectious 
diseases is greatly reduced when drug users are given sterile crack pipes.

However, those on the other side of the front lines view the anti-hep 
C move with caution. St. Thomas Police Service Criminal Investigation 
and Drug Unit Staff Sgt. Hank Zehr believes the initiative is walking 
on a very fine line.

"We have a concern with enabling users," said Zehr. "But the program 
itself has some merit because the numbers show that it does reduce 
the transmission of infectious diseases.

"I don't see anything there about getting them off drugs by providing 
pipes, but what I think they are providing is a safe environment to 
use the drugs."

Smith, however, stated that there is an educational component to the 
procedure. When a client walks into the health unit for a crack pipe, 
a registered nurse talks with them about their lifestyle decisions 
and attempts to refer the users to other health care services.

Smith said that at this early juncture in the program, several 
individuals have taken up the health unit's offer of a referral. The 
end goal, said Smith, "is to get them off drugs."

According to Zehr, although there has been an increase in the use of 
crystal meth in the last little while, crack cocaine has been a 
mainstay drug in St. Thomas for several years.

He said drugs are a huge issue in the city, and can lead to other crimes.

"Particularly property crimes to support the habit. It's a vicious 
circle," said Zehr.

"I don't, for one second, think that people are walking into the 
health unit to get a pipe to try crack for the very first time. I 
think those who are getting crack pipes are suffering from addiction, 
which is an issue much larger than where they are getting the crack 
pipes from."

Another concern the police have is that crystal meth is a relatively 
inexpensive drug but one that is highly addictive "which is why we 
want to keep it out of the community," advised Zehr. But overall, he 
said, the drug problem is no worse in St. Thomas than other other 
communities in the province.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom