EIN the wake of health
officials declaring a
: “medical emergency”

a of the downtown east-

| side, «where approxi-

- mately half of the city’s
junkies are infected
with HIV, Vancouver
East MP, Libby Davies
‘suggested it’s time we

- provide free heroin to

i If char little nugget of
‘ biilhot ne wase' enough, she
wént on.to say,We should set
p so-called’ “safe houses” for
; their shelter and use. I would
iggest “shooting galleries”
might be more appropriate
terminology...
- Not that I'd ever accuse
Davies of being a deep
thinker, but this latest gem
‘shows just how superficial
anid ignorant of reality she

us call it, of hero-

‘in is an old, tired argument.
-Those who cannot come to
grips with individual, as
opposed to societal responsi-

lity, constantly regurgitate
‘this drivel instead of seeing
.the problem for what it is
.and pushing for the moncy

and appropriate legislation to.

‘deal with. the problem.
Let?s try alittle dose of

reality in examining this issue.

No one forced these peo-
fi 0 become junkies. Let’s
really clear on this point.
Aconscious decision was
ade before the first needle
was pushed into a junkie’s
am.:Then, they had to keep
it up, shooting over and over
til their bodies physiologi-

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cally craved the chemical
intruder. This does not hap-
pen overnight.

Vancouver Police say that
junkies cost society over
$300 million per year in
property crime alone. Yet,
too many of the Libby

“No one forced
these people to
become junkies
.... A conscious
decision was
made.”

Davies” of this world some-
how think that by giving
junkies a daily hit, costing
taxpayers a little over $10
each per day, will suddenly
stop the rampant crime prob-
lem perpetuated by addicts.
A recent study done for
the Povemment of the
Netherlands said, “as many as
50% (of addicts) were already
committing offences before
they became addicted to
drugs. As far as these people
are concerned, crime and
drug abuse are mutually rein-
forcing elements of an
unconventional lifestyle.”
Personally, I'd venture an
educated guess that the num-

north shore news

: VIEWPOINT
| Dopey solution to drug problem

ber is much higher relative to
the addicts I’ve come across
on the downtown eastside.

This is important. Theirs
is an “alternate life style,”
although some might liken it
to an “alternate life form.”
The drug sub-culture looks at
life, property and liberty in a
vastly different way than you
or I.

Oh sure, there is the odd
exception of a kid from a nice
West Vancouver family who
“accidently gor hooked”
blah, blah, blah. I stil! rerurn
to th: matter of conscious
decisions and personal
responsibility for one’s
actions. Something the
“politically correct” just can’t
seem to come to grips with.

What about some basic
questions Davies seems to
have ignored?

Questions like, who would
distribute “legal” heroin?
Would we entrust doctors to
keep it in their offices? You
think break-ins are high now?
Put heroin in doctor's offices
and I guarantee the numbers
would skyrocket like the
Symphony of Fire.

At what age would you
start distributing heroin?
There are 12-, 13- and 14-
year-old junkies now in the
city. Do we give them heroin
or do they continue to get it
from the corner dealer?

Good Lord, the govern-
ment can’t even keep ciga-
rettes out of their hands
despite millions spent on
advertising and laws. forcing
their dirty work on corner
store operators.

How will we define who is

an addict? Will someone
show up at a doctor's office
and simply show some needle

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marks while confessing, “I’m
a junkie. Please give me
drugs.” What about cocaine?
Speedballs, a mixture of
heroin and cocaine, is the
“high” of choice for many of
our addicts. Is cocaine on the
table as well?

The reality is some junkies
have $500 to $1,000-a-day
habits. How will Davies’ con-
trolled “hit a day” lunacy
deal with those people? They
will still rob, cheat and steal
to get the extra drugs they
need.

What about the alcoholics
in the skid row area? They
certainly outnumber the
junkies by about three or
four to one. Their health
problems like tuberculosis
and hepatitis are certainly as
contagious and life threaten-
ing as HIV. Hell, why not?
While we're at it, a bottle of
scotch a day for them too.

No question, people are
dying from overdoses. HIV is
being spread by people shar-
ing infected needles.

Crimes committed by
junkies are reaching epidemic
proportions. B.C. has

come a haven for junkies,

crooks and thieves from all
over Canada. We already pay
them for the privilege of
being their hosts. Now we
should be supplying a portion
of their habits aa wel P

What are you smoking,

Libby?
lknight@direct.ca

— The North Shore News
believes strongly in freedom of
speech and the right of all sides
tn a debate to be heard. The
columnists published in the News
present differing points of view,
but those views are not necessarily
those of the newspaper itself.

nro nt ata om

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