Pubdate: Sat, 10 Jun 2017 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2017 The Edmonton Journal Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Yulia Kontos Page: A12 ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF DRUG ABUSE People do not just wake up one day and decide, "I am going to become a drug user." There are social causes that bring about drug use which need to be dealt with in order to reduce this problem. Drug use is more prevalent among people who are disadvantaged. If we really want to stop this epidemic of opioid overdose, there needs to be public policy in place that will lessen the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged people in order to stop drug use before it starts. Also, there needs to be policy in place that will help current drug users stay safe. An important step that Edmonton has made is the decision to create safe injection sites in the city, which is a major step toward decreasing deaths from overdose. This is a problem that cannot be solved by targeting individual people, but rather by targeting broader public policy. Yulia Kontos, Edmonton - --- MAP posted-by: Matt