In The Man with the Twisted Lip, Arthur Conan Doyle's 16th-favourite Sherlock Holmes story, Dr. Watson is impelled to find a man in an opium den located in "a vile alley" on a London Wharf. The establishment itself is not much better: "Through the gloom, one could dimly catch a glimpse of . bowed shoulders, heads thrown back, and chins pointing upward, with here and there a dark, lack-luster eye turned upon the newcomer." They mutter to themselves or to each other in trailed-off conversations, and Watson doesn't aim to stay long. [continues 840 words]
Before the Supreme Court case to decide Insite's future began, government lawyers requested that the court ignore the piles of evidence that suggest the inexplicably embattled facility does exactly what it purports to do: reduce overdoses, stop the spread of disease, encourage rehabilitation -you know, generally just save lives. A day into the proceedings, we quickly learned why the government's lawyers would make such a request: They had no way to respond. Justice Louis LeBel stated it outright to government lawyer Paul Riley: "In the end, this program somehow, while not being perfect, works. Have you got anything that tends to demonstrate that this program doesn't work?" Riley's only reply? "I think that's a fair observation." [continues 660 words]
Tony Clement's recent comments questioning the ethics of doctors who support drug-harm-reduction initiatives like Vancouver's Insite is yet another example of a disturbing aspect of the Conservative (though not necessarily conservative) ideology. I mean, besides the aspect that has them picking on some of Canadian society's weakest members for political gain. No, the specific aspect I'm referring to is the Tories' neoconservative tendency to ignore things like experts and statistical evidence that disagree with their misguidedly moralistic ideology. In Conservative minds, the fact that 79 per cent of Canadian physicians support harm-reduction measures is not an indication of their efficacy or importance, but that four-fifths of Canada's MDs are morally bankrupt. [continues 239 words]
A current government advertising campaign running on all network channels features young people saying that, because they use drugs, they are helping terrorists. That being so, will the penalties for those caught dealing and using drugs be commensurate with what the government believes is an act of treason? According to the campaign, these people are supporting terrorism with money, an act the president has denounced more than once. What will Attorney General Ashcroft deem appropriate action? DAVID C. BERRY 1143 Rosemead Road Mount Pleasant [end]
