[andyt]

Curtman Curtman:

Well I'm not in favour of free heroin for anyone. They're paying for it now. I'd rather just change who they are paying, and use the revenue to fight the problem. I don't know anything about what Switzerland is doing though, I'll take a look.

They're paying now - with money they get from crimes. Thats one of the biggest reasons to legalize heroin - to bring the price down to reduce crime by addicts. But if you're going to tax it, they'll still do crimes to pay for the heroin, maybe a little less since the cost might be less.

In the Swiss program, actually a lot of people had straight jobs such as teachers or musicians, since they didn't have to spend all their time trying to get money to get high. But still, a heavy heroin user is going to be pretty out of it a lot of the time, and certainly be limited to the jobs he can do, so it has to be affordable or he'll still do crimes to get money for his fix.

[andyt]

uwish uwish:

I admit I don't like the idea however, you can't argue with the fact they are working. I just need to get my head around the idea of the government subsidising illegal drug use.

I am glad they are having success, perhaps its just my old fashioned sense of values that makes me not like the idea.

The best option would be nobody using it. But even with the criminal penalties we have now, that's just not the reality. I guess we could try some big forced rehabilitation program, but without the users wanting to get straight it's just not going to work. I reluctantly support legalization and harm reduction because I don't see anything else working, not because I think it's a good idea for people to do heroin.

[Curtman]

uwish uwish:

I admit I don't like the idea however, you can't argue with the fact they are working. I just need to get my head around the idea of the government subsidising illegal drug use.

I am glad they are having success, perhaps its just my old fashioned sense of values that makes me not like the idea.

I don't think this place is subsidizing drug use, just reducing the harm that it does.

andyt andyt:

They're paying now - with money they get from crimes. Thats one of the biggest reasons to legalize heroin - to bring the price down to reduce crime by addicts. But if you're going to tax it, they'll still do crimes to pay for the heroin, maybe a little less since the cost might be less.

In the Swiss program, actually a lot of people had straight jobs such as teachers or musicians, since they didn't have to spend all their time trying to get money to get high. But still, a heavy heroin user is going to be pretty out of it a lot of the time, and certainly be limited to the jobs he can do, so it has to be affordable or he'll still do crimes to get money for his fix.

I just cant see how enabling people to be high functioning heroin addicts is going to help convince them to get off the stuff. My only experience with a heroin addict was my uncle who died several years ago. He had every opportunity to get clean that our family was able to provide, and he chose death instead. He took whatever he could from anywhere that he could get it. In the end nobody except my dad would have anything to do with him, and he wasn't able to help either.

I certainly wouldn't want him teaching my children anything, except through the legacy of his miserable life.

[Freakinoldguy]

Vancouver that mecca of enlightenment has carried out one quarter of what it was supposed to do.

Harm reduction might be fine but it's gotta be linked to the other three little pigs for the any real progress to be made:

Prevention, which might be a reason to never start selling drugs out of the LCB cause we all know how well that system worked in preventing kids from drinking.

Treatement, not happening, they're building them houses over here so they've got a safe place to shoot, snort or ram their drugs but this is definately not addressing the need to steal to pay for their addiction. So free drugs for everyone.

Enforcement, not happening, not enough police to properly carry it out province wide and definately not enough municipal or provincial government intestinal fortitude to put the dealers in jail.

Until they put all these things together like they were supposed to these shooting galleries are nothing more than a band aid treatement for a minority of drug users who by luck live in Vancouver.

[DrCaleb]

$1:

OTTAWA — A diplomatic cable shows U.S. officials opposed the Insite supervised injection site in Vancouver and wanted the federal and municipal governments to shut it down.

The reference to Vancouver-based Insite is found in a U.S. Embassy assessment of Canadian drug policy dated Nov. 2, 2009 and released through Wikileaks.

The memo is generally favourable of the federal Conservative government's efforts to clamp down on the production and distribution of illicit drugs, including a national awareness campaign targeting youth and parents.

"However, local and provincial authorities have embarked on a number of so-called 'harm-reduction' programs," reads the cable, "including a drug injection site and distribution of drug paraphernalia to chronic users."

The document notes the federal government "continues to deliver a sharp message" to cities and provinces about the programs, but called for stronger action.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/thewes ... story.html